Crossbow-wielding man shot chicken, threatened sister

Thursday 13th January 2011, 2:29PM GMT.

AFTER shooting a chicken with a crossbow, Richard Le Conte pulled the trigger on an unloaded rifle he was aiming at his sister and waved a knife in her face.

In the Magistrate’s Court, Le Conte, 20, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace.

He was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for three years, and two years’ supervision.

Advocate David Domaille said that his client, who was sent to youth detention for a year in 2008 for shooting a rifle at people from a car, accepted the facts but wanted to explain the ‘spirit’ of the offending.

Judge Philip Robey said he was not concerned with what the defendant intended or did not intend to do.

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1
John

January 13, 2011 at 2:34 pm

Have they confiscated the rifle and the crossbow if not why not.

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2
po boy

January 13, 2011 at 4:04 pm

The judge should send him to be a cellmate with the guy who likes horses for this set of crimes.

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3
Mr G

January 13, 2011 at 5:00 pm

He shot a chicken?

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4
T-Dogg

January 13, 2011 at 5:40 pm

A chicken being shot with a crossbow would cause almost instantanious death. Given that it was most likely being reared for meat anyway, I’d argue that ‘unnecessary suffering to an animal’ was a harsh verdict.

‘conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace’ is fair enough though i suppose. Where the hell do you buy crossbows from anyway?

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5
g

January 14, 2011 at 6:22 am

It just goes to show; not all crazy people are elected politicians!

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6
Dave

January 14, 2011 at 11:02 am

T.Dogg – it would only have been an instantaneous death if the arrow had gone through the heart or brain. If it had punctured an organ it would still take some minutes (maybe up to 30) for the animal to die. This therefore would be causing it suffering. When chickens are slaughtered it is an instantaneous and humane death therefore no suffering is caused.

Regardless of what animal it was and if it is an animal we rear for meat there is no doubt in my mind that RLC caused the animal undue suffering for which he should receive the appropriate punishment for.

That to one side RLC is obviously very unhinged due to this and also his past history and I would have recommended mental health counselling.

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7
Ray

January 14, 2011 at 1:54 pm

Dave

According to the full story the chicken survived

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8
Dave

January 14, 2011 at 2:03 pm

Bet it won’t be crossing too many roads now though…

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9
Maggie

January 14, 2011 at 8:21 pm

Apart from the obvious suffering to the chicken no-one seems to be alarmed that this man pointed a rifle at his sister’s head (did she know it was not loaded?), that he had previously been in trouble for using a rifle to shoot at people and that his family allowed the children to grow up thinking that it was okay to play with guns and point them at people!!!
They should have locked him up – preferably in a chicken coop with some very hungry pecking chickens!

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10
Dave

January 15, 2011 at 9:14 am

Maggie indeed! I think all is not too right ‘upstairs’ hence my thoughts that he should have a mental health check. Also considering what he did back in 2008!

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11
River

January 17, 2011 at 1:16 am

T-Dogg the chicken was a family pet,and not being raised for meat.
personally i think the idiot got off lightly.

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