A pair of experienced United Kingdom police officers who battered a severely injured deer will stay on the force, despite being found guilty of gross misconduct, according to The Independent.
Andrew Pittilla and Brian Clewlow, of Durham Constabulary, were given written warnings after they struck the deer, which was injured in a car accident two days earlier, several times. A disciplinary panel looked into the matter and took both officers off of firearms duties but kept them on the force, citing that the incident "had not been borne out of cruelty."
The officers responded to a call near Tanfiled Lea, County Durham in June of 2014 regarding an injured deer that had recently been hit by a car.
Pittilla and Clewlow moved the deer away from the road to avoid it being injured any further and left after getting advised to do so by an animal welfare expert, The Telegraph reported. Just 48 hours later, the pair returned to the deer and attacked it with a crowbar.
The policemen told the panel they did this all, including the attack, "in the best interests" of the deer, not for pleasure.
The panel, which consisted of two senior police officers and a regular citizen, believes the deer may have already been dead by the time Pittilla and Clewlow began the attack, according to The Telegraph.
"I have been taking a close personal interest in this case, which has naturally caused people disgust and distress," said Ron Hogg, Durham Police and Crime Commissioner. "The Constabulary have dealt with it in an extremely diligent and professional way, and left the two officers in no doubt that their behavior was unacceptable and unbecoming of a police officer. Due to one act of stupidity, they have gone from having long, clean and commended records to being on their final warning - and stripped of their firearms responsibilities."
