A duck is believed to have been stoned to death by a group of cruel boys armed with a catapult.

The animal was seen struggling to keep its head above water and a group of youngsters were heard cheering from a nearby footbridge.

A 64-year-old woman, who did not wish to be named, heard the commotion from her home off Wharf Road, Tovil, and rushed to the River Medway.

She said: "I could see lots of splashing and then I saw the duck struggling to come up
for air.

"I could hear boys shouting something like 'hit it on the head'.

"I'm so upset and distressed by what happened. The poor bird couldn't get away. It's just cruel..." - witness

"I ran down to the water but it was too late. The duck had drowned and its body had floated up stream.

"I'm so upset and distressed by what happened. The poor bird couldn't get away. It's just cruel."

The neighbour, who scared the group off when she called out for them to stop,
said a couple walked past the suspects on the bridge and saw them carrying a catapult and what they thought was a pellet gun.

She said the girl burst into tears when she realised what had happened.

The woman's husband, also 64, drove around the area in an attempt to find the boys, who are aged between 15 and 18, but they were nowhere to be found.

Alison Chew, clerk at Tovil Parish Council, said the incident has been reported to
Kent Police and Maidstone council.

Footage from surveillance cameras is being reviewed in a bid to identify the culprits.

A Kent Police spokesman said: "Police received a third-party report of a duck being fatally injured, reportedly with a catapult, in the Tovil area.

"Two officers attended and conducted a search of the area but no suspects were located. The neighbourhood team will conduct follow-up inquiries, and will speak with the person who reported the incident."

Anyone with any information about the incident, at about 6.30pm last Saturday, is asked to contact police by calling 101.