Sir, - We talk about the law being an ass, but that's an understatement. The courts are making a "dog's dinner" of justice. The imposition of a 50p fine on a farmer who shot two dogs in the presence of children (The Irish Times, April 29th), exposes the archaic nature of our laws on both guns and animal welfare. And what does it say about the status of children in our "progressive" society?
The judge handed down the maximum penalty for "discharging a gun in public". Of course, the killing of two little animals called Harvey and Belinda counted for nothing. What could you expect from a legal system that enshrines the cruelty of hare coursing and the "right" to feed live fox-cubs to hounds?
I find it quite disturbing that the effect of this incident on the three children who witnessed it was not taken into account in the case. They saw their pets being butchered at point-blank range. They were frightened and traumatised by the experience and have been referred for counselling.
A dog, however important it may be to its owner, is just an animal. But what value do we place on a child's psychological well-being?
The price of a bar of chocolate? - Yours, etc.,
John Fitzgerald, Lower Coyne Street, Callan, Co Kilkenny.