New Zealander Fined for Hedgehog Attack
Friday, May 30th, 2008William Singalargh, the New Zealander who was charged back in February with assaulting a teenage boy by throwing a hedgehog at him (see earlier article, below), has gotten away with no more than a conviction for “common assault and offensive behaviour,” and a fine equivalent to about US$545.
“Assault with a weapon” charges (the hedgehog being the weapon), which could have cost him five years, were dropped, and animal cruelty charges couldn’t be proved because by the time police found the “weapon,” there was no way to determine whether it had already been dead at the time of the attack.
April 21, 2008: “Raise your hands and step away from the hedgehog!”That’s actually not what New Zealand police said when they arrested William Singalargh for throwing a hedgehog at a 15-year-old boy (causing welts and puncture marks but no serious injury); it’s the headline the local newspaper ran, and it seemed worth repeating.The actual charge is assault with a weapon, and Singalargh could face five years in prison (trial scheduled for May 29). Animal cruelty charges can be added if police can determine that the hedgehog – now deceased – was alive at the time of the attack.
Prior to throwing the hedgehog at the boy, Singalargh and some friends were apparently playing hackysack with it, kicking it back and forth between themselves. Following the assault, Singalargh picked up the hedgehog, threatened the boy with it again, and then turned his back to the boy, dropped his trousers, and exposed his behind to him.
I’m going to go out to on a limb here and say that alcohol was probably a factor.