A 43-year-old father was sentenced this Thursday, December 11, 2020 by the Bayonne judicial court for having left his dog without care and with very little food for several weeks. The case took place at the beginning of the year at his home in Anglet where the defendant, in a state of depression, had left his pet on the verge of death. The police intervened to recover “Luna“and entrust her to the Bayonne refuge. She is now safe and sound. His master was fined 10,000 euros and a permanent ban on keeping an animal.
The apartment reeked of excrement
Alerted by neighbors and by the association “Assistance animals Europe“The police will discover at David’s home, a scene that is not very sweet. The apartment stinks of the animal’s feces and urine, which no longer comes out. “Luna“is locked in the kitchen where a barrier has been installed so that she cannot go to the other rooms. The 5 year old American Staff Bully breed has only skin on her bones and weighs only 15 kilos instead of double in her normal state. The bulldog has barely eaten for weeks and received no care. It is the director of the Bayonne refuge Joëlle Turca who will save her life.
– Paul Cretinon
He didn’t want to hurt her
In his defense David, who at the time lived on the RSA, will plead depression at the time of the facts and the lack of money for the food of his animal. According to his lawyer Benoit Briffe “David never wanted to harm his animal, but in a state of helplessness he could not take care of it. David lived like his dog.” Arguments swept away by the public prosecutor. Amélie Djaoudo taps the point on the table: “the money you find to buy your dose of cocaine”. The representative of the Public Prosecutor’s Office also underlines that, recently, for the law, animals are no longer considered as furniture but as sentient beings.
Satisfied victim
The association “Animals Assistance Europe“said she was satisfied with the court’s decision. Her lawyer Olivia Symniacos believes she got everything she asked for. Namely, the conviction of David to 10,000 euros fine and a definitive ban on keeping an animal. In addition, the court awards the association 115 euros for its financial damage and 1,000 euros for its moral damage.
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