We were sickened to read about the mindless yobs who kicked a hedgehog around “like a football” (The Argus, September 5).

The pain this animal must have gone through at the hands of these sick thugs is unimaginable. Thank goodness it was rescued quickly and taken to East Sussex Wildlife Rescue.

Animal cruelty is often associated with people who have done poorly in school, have low self-esteem and few friends.

Many social studies over the past 25 years have demonstrated that violent offenders can have histories of serious and repeated animal cruelty.

Anyone who has any information about this attack should contact Sussex Police, quoting reference 827 of September 3, 2013. Let us ensure these people have the most severe punishment possible for this attack.

Fay Vass, British Hedgehog Preservation Society