That Word 'Vulnerable' Is Misused Again...

The elderly man was arrested by North Wales police, but later released with a caution.

North Wales Police's Rural Crime Unit described the man as “vulnerable and elderly” on Twitter, without revealing the name of the culprit or when and where it took place.

What did this 'vulnerable' old geezer do? Why, just caught and cut open a heron that had eaten a duckling, that's all. Because he's a bird lover, you see...

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No. Me neither.

Some people responded to the Tweet by criticising the police decision to let the man off with a caution.

The heron is a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, with fines or prison sentences available for anyone killing or attempting to kill one.

But our fearless guardians of wildlife beg to differ. It's not like the Heron Ripper was a gamekeeper, or something....

North Wales Police said: “These decisions are never taken lightly and a number of factors are addressed. This was a vulnerable elderly man, who confessed voluntarily to the action with no previous convictions.”

If he'd been dressed in tweed carrying a shotgun with a Labrador at heel, I suspect they'd have gone to town.

H/T: ShootingTimes via Twitter