Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted of animal cruelty offences in relation to dog fighting since the implementation of the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of convictions of animal cruelty offences in relation to animal fighting, in each year since 2010, on principal offence basis, in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: December 2022. However, it is not possible to provide information about dog fighting specifically, as this information is not centrally held in the Court Proceedings Database by the Ministry of Justice.

To view the total number of convictions in relation to animal fighting, in the data tool navigate to the ‘Prosecutions and convictions’ tab. Using ‘HO offence code’ filter, select ‘09705 - Offences relating to animal fights’. The pivot table will now present the total number of convictions at all courts, since the implementation of the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021.

To view the total number of convictions in relation to animal fighting prior to the offence being reclassified, use HO offence code ‘10833 - Offences relating to animal fights (Reclassified)’