U.K. police have arrested a 20-year-old student who was alleged to have cooked a hamster in a frying pan when a raucous house party got out of control.

    Officers were called to the flat in York and were left horrified to discover the pet rodent dead in a frying pan in the kitchen.

    They had broken up the wild party after calls from neighbors complaining about the noise and it is thought an investigation will now hinge on whether or not the hamster was already dead before it was fried.

    North Yorkshire Police confirmed that a joint investigation has been launched over the incident.

    A spokesman said: “A 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. He has been released on bail while inquiries continue.”

    Last year police investigated 159,686 cruelty complaints and secured 2,441 convictions by private prosecution to protect animals against those who break the laws.

    Last month, Paul Henry was sentenced to six months in jail after he cooked a pet cat to death in a microwave in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.

    Lincoln Magistrates Court heard how 45-year-old Henry had cooked his friend’s beloved black-and-white moggy “Suzie” after he was left home alone at his flat.

    Prosecutions for animal cruelty have been enforced since 2007, when the Animal Welfare Act became law in England. (SD-Agencies)