Yes, I'm baffled by how the dog theft keeps coming up time and time again on this case when the only connection is that Julia was walking one of 10 million dogs in the UK.
I posted stats about this in the first thread, just
117 reports of dog theft or attempted theft vs
81,222 violent crimes in a year in the Kent area.
Compared to the 117 dog thefts in Kent,
10 times more people were raped, 3 times as many child rapes and about the same number of male rapes as dog thefts yet we don't see them on social media or the news so it distorts peoples view of actual crime levels. There was also
117 shootings in Kent in the same period.
- Dog thefts get over exposed on social media - they represent 0.1% compared to violent crimes but we don't see 1000 social media posts or news reports about violent crime for each dog theft we see - pet owners see a distorted view of the world from their social media.
- Dog thefts increased significantly last year which has added to the hype but that period is included in my stats - they are for 2020
- Dog thefts are usually of puppies and high value pedigrees, often taken from gardens / outside shops / breeders and puppy farms.
- Dog thieves usually have a car or van nearby to make a quick getaway.
- Dog thieves don't typically steal 9 year old dogs - much better money to be made elsewhere.
- The dog wasn't stolen. It would be easier to steal the dog than kill Julia. A dog thief wouldn't take such a risk.
- Dog thieves are usually connected to organised crime, it doesn't appear to be the case with this suspect but just my opinion.