A COSTA del Sol man has been arrested for killing hens with rat poison because their clucking kept him awake at night.
The accused, 77, mixed the poison with lentils, maize and rice – the hens' usual food – and fed it to the half-dozen or so birds belonging to his neighbour in San Pedro de Alcántara, near Marbella.
It was the neighbour who reported him after seeing him apparently feeding the chickens with what he described as 'strange-coloured purplish grains' before they all died in agony.
Charged with animal cruelty, the offender said he was 'desperate' because the chickens made too much noise and he could not sleep.
He has since been released pending trial, much to the concern of his neighbour.
