The Appeals Court in Málaga has confirmed a sentence handed down to three people for animal cruelty/neglect in the case concerning 105 dogs in their care.
The accused, members of an animal shelter in Rincón de la Victoria, had kept these animal in a state of abandonment and deplorable health. When the Animal Protection branch of the Guardia Civil (seprona) discovered them, many were in such a bad condition that they would soon die, despite efforts to help them.
The original sentence was 15 months’ imprisonment for each one of the accused but their defence lawyer entered an appeal which was unsuccessful claiming that his clients rights had been infringed upon.
The three were in charge of the animal shelter, which had a 200 sq/m area in the grounds of Maroto farmhouse. However, the installations were inadequate, without evacuation systems for removing excrement and urine. It was in June 2017 that they received a visit from seprona.
When a vet was called in to examine the dogs, he declared the installations as a serious health risk, especially from contagious diseases. Consequently, the dogs were transferred to a different animal refuge but owing to their state of health the majority finally died — by December that year, there were only 42 left. alive
Editorial comment: only 15 months?
(News: Rincon de La Victoria, Axarquia, Costa del Sol, Malaga, Andalusia – Photo: E. Cabezas)