'My Children Are Heartbroken, I've Had Nothing But Tears'

Stay classy, animal rights wackos.

Every morning before school, Barney the rabbit could expect a little treat and a bit of loving attention.

But when his owner, 13-year-old Kiera Bailey, came downstairs to make her daily check on him, the schoolgirl received a dreadful surprise.

Instead of her beloved pet - bought nine years ago after a bad experience at school - there was an empty hutch and a threatening note, apparently from animal rights extremists.

It read: 'This is animal cruelty. Rabbits should not be left in hutches, they should be out in the wild and socialising.'

Now Barney is feared to have been let out into local countryside - where rabbit experts say he would be unlikely to survive more than a few days, at the mercy of foxes and other hazards.

As police launched an investigation into his disappearance, Kiera's furious father demanded that whoever took him brought him back.

'My children are heartbroken, I've had nothing but tears,' said Oliver Bailey, 38. 'They are absolutely horrified.

'They love the rabbit and play with him every day. He is taken to the vets regularly and gets the best possible treatment.

'We are just heartbroken to be accused of animal cruelty to a pet rabbit we love dearly.'

These people are simply evil.