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Animal rights campaigners are organising a mass demonstration against what they say are lenient sentences “handed down by the courts to convicted animal abusers”.

The Northern Ireland Says No to Animal Cruelty group (NISNTAC) says around 16 people have been convicted for causing unnecessary suffering to animals so far this year but not one has been jailed.

A number of cases have been reported in the media including neglected livestock and a pet dog starved to death, however in most cases the most severe punishment handed down by the courts has been a suspended sentence.

A NISNTAC spokesman said: “We feel that justice is not being served. Starving an animal to death requires time and commitment.

“These cases are not the result of casual thoughtlessness.

“They are deliberate and methodical acts of neglect where someone has made a conscious choice to deny the animal in their care even the most basic requirements to survive.

“The result for that animal is a slow and painful death.”

Following a review of legislation, judges have the power to hand down stiffer sentences. The maximum jail term that can be handed down for animal welfare offences is five years. In recent years, a number of high profile cases have sparked public outrage.

In 2014 the police said they were “very disappointed at the outcome” when a number of men walked free from court after being convicted of animal cruelty charges. Dogs seized in East Belfast during a PSNI investigation were said to have been trained for dog fighting.

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In 2012 Cody, a collie dog doused in a flammable liquid and set alight in Co Antrim. She suffered extensive burns and died from the injuries several days later.

The NISNTAC spokesman added: “We call upon every party leader who included animal welfare in their 2016 manifesto to stand with us and show that they really mean what they said.

“Most importantly we call upon the judges, the Attorney General and the Judicial Studies Board to change sentencing guidelines.

“Animals are not mere property but living, breathing and loving beings that feel every bit of suffering we feel and deserve the same protections under the law as we do.”

Stormont has also been under pressure to ban hunting with snares and with dogs.

The demonstration is due to take place on Saturday May 14 at 11am outside the Royal Courts of Justice.