Dog hater stalks beaches with rat-poison sandwiches

A POISONER is believed to be stalking an idyllic stretch of coastline seeking to kill dogs with contaminated sandwiches. Police have confirmed at least three have been struck down this year after eating poison, all within a small area. Now patrols are being stepped up in an attempt to catch the poisoner, and residents – including the animal-loving Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards – have been put on their guard. The incidents have all taken place near Chichester, West Sussex, with the latest sandwiches – laced with rat poison – reportedly found on the beach at East Wittering. Others have been found at Bosham further down the coast and at Lavant, near Chiches- ter. The poison sandwich is being left on beaches, and there are fears an animal could be killed if the poisoner strikes over Easter when families flock to the coast. In the first incident, in January, Judy Peeters’s dog Rusty ate a poisoned sandwich while they were walking in Bosham. Mrs Peeters, 72, said Rusty nearly died after eating the sandwich, which had been neatly cut in four and left on a public footpath. By the time Rusty was ordered to leave it, she had already eaten three quarters of it. Mrs Peeters said: ‘It was fresh white bread. It was lucky I recognised the rat poison.’ A week later, resident David Weston’s dog Rufus fell ill after eating some slug pellets, also in the Bosham area. A third dog was violently ill after eating a sandwich laced with rat poison in February. A spokesman for Chichester District Council said: ‘Our dog wardens and foreshores team have been made aware of incidents of dogs eating rat poison sandwiches. ‘They will be looking for any suspicious items while they are out on patrol and removing anything they find.’ The local wildlife crime officer, PCSO Colin Booker, said: ‘This is a terrible ordeal for the animals and owners involved and we ask people to contact us if they have information that can help us in our investigations. ‘We have been in contact with the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme and have made them aware of the incidents that we have had. ‘They are there to protect pets and wildlife from pesticide poisoning and are able to carry out extensive investigations in the hope of prosecuting someone for their malicious or careless behaviour.’ Research of the archives shows the incidents this year were preceded by reports seven years ago of a dog being killed by rat poison at West Wittering beach. Rolling Stone Richards will be among residents concerned at the reports. Despite his hellraising image, he has lived in a thatched house in the area for 46 years, bought a £60,000 beach hut at West Wittering, and campaigns for local wildlife.