Women sentenced to prison for torturing their friend’s parrot to death

Two women in the U.K. have been give prison sentences after they tortured and killed a friend’s pet parrot during a drunken stupor, Fox News reported.

British news outlets reported that Tracy Dixon, 47, and Nicola Bradley, 35, were accused of “sadistically” torturing an African grey parrot named Sparky until it died.

Carlisle Crown Court Judge Richard Archer told the pair that they “together” killed the parrot through their actions.

“The way in which suffering was caused to that animal is shocking,” the judge said. “It involved spraying her with cleaning products; it involved daubing paint on her; and it involved hitting her with a tea towel.”

From Fox News:

The incident reportedly unfolded in July 2022 in the city of Carlisle. The two women went out drinking on the evening of July 30, and Sparky’s owner, identified as their friend, Paul Crooks, picked the women up and allowed them to stay as guests at his home in the city.

The women reportedly continued drinking once they reached Crooks’ home at about 5:30 a.m. while Crooks went to bed. He awoke hours later and found his shaving cream had been sprayed over Sparky’s cage, The Guardian reported. He reportedly instructed the women to leave the bird alone and left the home to run errands.

He returned to his house later that day and found his beloved bird dead and the women wearing his clothing.

Dixon and Bradley reportedly tortured the bird by covering her in furniture and metal polish, as well as gloss paint, and hit the animal with a towel, according to prosecutors. The pair were also accused in court of trying to feed Sparky to Crooks’ dog before throwing her into a dryer that had been turned on.

The pair were both given sentences of 25 months in prison. They were also banned from owning pets for the foreseeable future. The African grey parrot is reportedly an endangered bird.

Read the full report at Fox News.

Image via SWNS News/Dennis Jarvis (Flickr) 

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.