A man and a woman, 39 and 40 years old respectively, have been sentenced to four months in prison for suffocating a dog to death in Teguise, events that they themselves recorded on video and sent to the City Hall. After being investigated by the Local Police, the defendants faced a quick trial in which they acknowledged the facts, with a judgment of conformity being issued by the Investigating Court number 1 of Arrecife.
The defendants have also been imposed a special disqualification for 16 months to practice a profession, trade or business that is related to animals and for the possession of them. As for the prison sentence, the Court has agreed to suspend the sentence for a period of two years, provided that they do not commit another crime during that period and undergo rehabilitation treatment. Thus, they will not go to prison, at least for the moment.
The investigation of the Local Police of Teguise began as a result of the video recorded by the defendants, which was contributed to the case by the animal welfare area of the City Hall. In it, according to what has been transferred from the Consistory, a mixed-breed dog was seen, tied by a rope around the neck and in turn to the front and rear extremities, with its snout tied with a zip tie and electrical tape, where it can be observed how the animal is agonizing, "with a clear and manifest difficulty in breathing".
The agents managed to locate and finally identify the perpetrators of the events, having previously proceeded to the intervention of the animal's body and its transfer to a veterinary center in order to perform the necropsy, and obtaining the corresponding veterinary report.
According to the judgment, the events took place at about 11:30 am on July 18 at the home of the defendants who, "acting in common agreement", "with the same intention of attacking the physical integrity of a stray dog and being aware of the high risk that their conduct created for the life of the animal, tied it by the front and rear extremities, put a zip tie on its snout and closed its entire mouth with electrical tape". As a result, the dog died half an hour later from asphyxiation.
Initially, the Public Prosecutor requested a sentence of six months in prison and two years of disqualification for the defendants, but after acknowledging the facts, the sentence was reduced by one third.
