Wick woman convicted of stamping duck to death over noise row

Charlene Winter, 33, of Wick Street, Wick, fatally injured the call duck in her neighbour’s back garden, in Wick Parade, Chichester Magistrates’ Court heard.

A vet told magistrates the duck suffered “intensely” from the injuries it had sustained.

The court was told Winter visited her neighbour’s garden to complain about the noise from ducks on September 3 last year.

Initially, she let her dog chase the ducks. But as she was leaving, she turned and stamped on one of them and held it down so her dog could bite it.

Speaking after the court case, a spokeswoman for the RSPCA said: “Winter went to her neighbour’s garden to complain about noise. Her dog was off the lead and the ducks were roaming free in the garden.

“The dog chased some of the ducks, then, as Winter walked away, the neighbour told the court that she stamped on a call duck, holding it down and allowing her dog to bite it.”

Winter – who did not attend the hearing – was convicted in her absence of two counts of unnecessary cruelty to an animal. She was also ordered to keep her dog under control at all times. She will be sentenced at Worthing Magistrates’ Court on May 23.