Lamb thrown on fire 'for a laugh'

A teenager who threw a live lamb onto a fire "for a laugh" has avoided a custodial sentence.

Scott Douglas was celebrating his 17th birthday when he removed the lamb from its mother in a field near Loch Ness.

He was sentenced to 200 hours community service at Inverness Sheriff Court and banned from keeping animals for 10 years.



Fiscal depute Sandy Collie said: "Initially he had gone to get the lamb from the river bank where it was with its mother and other lambs. On taking it to the other youths one of them said to behave and to leave it alone, and it was returned. However, he then went and got the lamb again and took it back and threw it on the fire."

The fiscal added: "He was indicating that he was wishing to have it for his dinner. Drink was not an issue here prior to the killing of the lamb."

Defence lawyer David MacNeill said one of Douglas's friends had grabbed the lamb from the fire but it was so badly burnt he "put it out of its misery". Douglas, of Dall Cottage in Balnain, Drumnadrochit, later told police: "I was going to have a laugh."