Rescuers at one of Berkshire’s leading bird sanctuary have hit back against the ‘utterly unfair’ punishment of a boy who killed four swans in a catapult attack within their grounds.

The attack occurred in August 2022 when two teenage thugs broke into Swan Support sanctuary in Datchet where they ‘tortured’ the animals for 20 minutes.

Two cygnets and two adults were killed, and a number of others injured leaving two with life-altering injuries as a result of the catapult attack.

In a hearing at Maidenhead Youth Court last Thursday (23/3), one of the offenders, a 13-year-old boy was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to protected animals.

Although he received a six-month referral order to a youth offending team, this has been deemed ‘too lenient’ by those at the sanctuary who were forced to experience the horrific attack.

Wendy Hermon, 52 who runs Swan Support said: “I’m lost for words at how lenient they were when the crime was so brutal and heart-breaking.

“It was barbaric what those two boys done and for one of them just to walk away with a referral order is a kick in the teeth.

“I have currently lost all faith in the justice system. What they did was truly disgusting and truly devastating for all our volunteers.

“I’m appalled that only one of them was caught and that they received no real punishment for it.”

At the time of the attack, Swan Support reached out to supporters on Facebook saying that they ‘felt violated and shaken by what had happened. The incident was described as an appalling and disgusting act of violence.

The statement that they released on social media said: "We are both heartbroken and disgusted!

"We are also being supported by HM The Queen’s Swan Marker and collectively we will not let this go! We will continue our campaign until those responsible have been prosecuted!"

"Being honest we feel violated and have been shaken by what has happened. It has truly devastated all our volunteers."

The sanctuary released a plea asking for donations to help and aid them in the plans to move to a more permanent site and support their remaining swans.