VIOLENCE against another living being is never acceptable.

There can never be an occasion when hitting something or someone else is justified.

To deliberately try to hurt an innocent animal is simply heinous.

Benn and Katie Cushway were understandably horrified when their timid cat George came home beaten and terrified.

It is their belief he was attacked by thugs who kicked him, breaking his jaw, and threw lighter fuel on him.

Who would do such a cowardly and brutal attack?

What possible pleasure could there be in it?

Of course, it is always hoped the perpetrators of violence will be brought to justice and never more so than in this case.

The attackers are sick and need both help and punishment.

At the other end of the scale there is the family of Colour Sergeant Kevin Fortuna.

The heroic soldier died while serving in the 1st Battalion, The Rifles, in Afghanistan in 2011.

Since 2012, his family has raised money for the military charity Help for Heroes in his memory and the total is now at almost £200,000.

What an amazing achievement.

Raising money takes time and effort and an awful lot of both.

And yet the family has steadfastly stood in the wind and rain, year after year to raise the money.

It will not benefit their lives, it will not bring Kevin back to them. But they have determined to help others.

That is selfless and admirable and an example of the best of human spirit.

Colour Serjeant Kevin Fortuna’s relatives raised £21,000 this year alone - and have set their sights on a new fundraising goal of £250,000.

Kevin, from Colchester, was killed when he was struck by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2011.

The popular and respected soldier, who was in A Company, 1st Battalion The Rifles, was 36 when he died.

His family, who include in-laws Mike and Sue Jackson, and Kevin’s widow, Nia, started to fundraise in his memory in January 2012.

The money they raise is donated to veterans’ charity Help for Heroes.