Police appeal for witnesses after gang of men deliberately cover foxes in lighter fluid and set fire to them in east London.

Detectives are appealing for information following reports that a group of men have been deliberately catching and torturing foxes in east London – including setting them on fire.

The horrendous and disgusting incidents have been taking place across Newham and Waltham Forest and the men are described as four black males aged between 18-20 years old.

Police were called by an animal rescue group on Monday, 27 February in relation to a fox being set on fire in a wooded area near Kestrel Avenue and Linton Gardens, E6.

The group was contacted by a member of public who was awoken at about 01:00hrs on Monday, 27 February by the sounds of screaming. 

They initially thought it was a human making the distressed sounds, but upon inspection they saw a group of men pouring what is believed to be lighter fluid over a fox and setting it on fire with a lighter. The fox managed to escape, but was badly burnt. The extent of its injuries, or if it survived, remain unknown.

Enquiries have established that the group regularly go to the area in the early hours of the morning and have reportedly previously captured and tortured foxes – including starting fires to smoke them out of their dens and setting their dogs on them.

Detective Constable James Mahoney, a wildlife crime officer in Newham and Waltham Forest, said: “I am truly shocked and sickened by these appalling, cruel incidents and I would appeal to anyone with information to come forward so we can catch those responsible and prevent any more foxes from being hurt.

“If you live in the area, please check any doorbell, dash cam or CCTV footage in case you’ve captured these heinous crimes or a group of males matching the description loitering around. It is also possible that the group are not just targeting foxes in the Kestrel Avenue area, and so I’d urge the people of Newham to remain vigilant and report any information to us or Crimestoppers anonymously.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting CAD 2533/27FEB.

Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Support Local Journalism
We at The Havering Daily appreciate your support of quality journalism. Your generous donation, no matter the size, allows us to continue bringing unbiased and informative news to the community. Your contribution helps us maintain our independence and allows us to continue providing high-quality journalism. Thank you for valuing the work we do and for supporting our mission

Thank you

Stay up to date with all of our latest updates and content by following us on our social media accounts!

We have created community pages where we will share our up-to-date stories happening in the area. Add the area closest to where you live.