Reality Stars Charged For Eating a Rat During Filming

By PopEater / Wire Services Posted Dec 6th 2009 09:54AM

Two stars of the British version of 'I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here' have been charged with animal cruelty after allegedly killing and cooking a rat to eat during filming. Chef Gino D'Acampo, who won the viewer-feedback contest series, and British soap actor Stuart Manning were charged after animal welfare activists lodged a complaint about a segment, which was filmed in Australia.

The maximum penalty for these charges is three years in prison.

In a statement to The Associated Press, New South Wales state police said Sunday that two men, aged 33 and 30, were charged with animal cruelty for acts in connection to the program but did not give names or other details. They have been asked to appear in court to face the charge on Feb. 3.

The performers and ITV, the network that produces the show, did not immediately respond to media inquiries about the incident.

"The killing of a rat for a performance is not acceptable. The concern is this was done purely for the cameras," David O'Shannessy from the New South Wales RSPCA told the British Broadcasting Corp.

He said producers were normally required to have animal welfare officers on set when animals were used during filming, but in this case it did not take place.

'I'm a Celebrity' strands C-list celebrities in the Australian Outback, subjects them to a series of icky trials involving spiders and snakes, and allows the public to vote them off the show one by one.

Tags: Im a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here, ImACelebrity...GetMeOutOfHere, Stuart Manning, StuartManning

Comments

(156)

Tuesday 08 December

By Michael

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For a rat?? A rodent that carries the worst kind of disease?? A beast that surely was made up by the Devil himself?? And you are charging these people with animal cruelty?? If it were a dog or a cat I could see someone being upset but a rat?? That is so stupid. Stick your noses else where or in fact just get a life and leave those obviously insane people alone.

Sunday 06 December

By jerry

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This is stupid. Animal activists have got to be the biggest pains in the ass. I'm not for hurting an animal just for the sake of doing it, but if these people cared for other people like they say they do animals, the world would be better off.

By John

3 years for killing a rat? What do you get for killing a spider, hard labor?

By mickey

Maybe they shouldn't have killed it. If they just would have cooked it without killing it, that would have been more humane.

By dang1067

ARTICLE: "The killing of a rat for a performance is not acceptable."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Where is such law does it state of such, and where, what country does such law are enforced????

I say we all hunt down all these animal activists and have all of them FRIED super crispy in hot boiling oil and feed them all to the RATS!!!! I'm sick and tired of hearing the abusiveness of all these so called animal activists for putting a rodent on a pedestal over humanity.

By mike

it's a damn rat....who gives a crap....they did a service by killing the freaking thing.....they should be rewarded......

By NoName

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It's not about animal activists its about what the law states and THEY broke the LAW. Don't make stuff up to please your opinion.

By pnut166

Oh but killing cows and pigs for food is perfectly acceptable ?

why do people always bring up this lame "reasoning" - don't you think you can care about animals and humans? why do you think the animal rights people don't have concern for people? acts of animal cruelty should always be condemned and despised, you are just confusing the issue...

Tuesday 29 December

By coy

Jerry I agree. The world would be a better place if they treated humans the way they do animals. If they are going to arrest people for killing animals and eating them, I think we all would be in jail.

By terryplaya69

People, if it were something other than a filthy disease ridden rat..... I might see it..... Doubt it because I like to kill and eat animals myself. I AM from the south... never ate a rat, but I've had chili that had beaver in it, some that had possum in it, and I'll kill and eat alot of squirrels.... what some of these animal rights activists don't get is that SOME ANIMALS DESERVE TO DIE!!!! I'm guessing these are the same people that if they live in NYC "Humanely catch the rats, then take them out into the country and release them" Get a life people, if they ate it.. it wasn't merely for "artistic purposes" it was for nutritional purposes.

Monday 07 December

By Master Shake

If animal rights people had their way, every butcher shop would be closed down, and everyone who ever ate a hamburger would be in prison for cow abuse. In 9/10 of the world, animal rights activists have absolutely zero power. They are treated like the lunatics they are.

By Lee

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When these liberal nitwits political correctness brings western civilization crashing down, we are all going to have to eat rats to survive.

By cashman7323

The liberals are way out of hand. Now they want to criminalize killing rats!! What are we in effing India?

By max

no, they are in effing Australia

By lily

WHile i think any activists can go over board as a whole animals do need protection from idiots. However in this case if its true they are stranded in the outback then killing and eating a rat shouldnt be out of bounds. AND this is supposedly a true reality show. Now if it isnt and its all staged the idiots should get reprimanded for needlessly killing an animal.

By tanirocker

This has nothing to do with being liberal. I'm a liberal who uses D-Con to get rid of rats in my yard.

By mmckenzie21@a0l.com

They're facing 3 years over a rat. OK WHAT WERE THEY SUPPOSED TO EAT? I MEAN I'M SURE AS HELL THEY DIDN'T WANT TO

By Dave

I guess I'd better turn myself in. I kill rats, when they get inside the house, all the time. Poison, drowning, rat traps,(snap!) and pellet gun.
By the way, a little olive oil and garlic w/ salt and pepper- saute over a low flame. Lovely!!!

By ges2917

yum but you forgot hot sauce

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