The slaughterhouse pointed out that it was broken into to install the camera and broken into a second time to take the camera back. The court is now of the opinion that the images could still be used as evidence. “It has been established that the video images were obtained unlawfully and that this was done intentionally,” the court first writes.”
The court further believes that the right to privacy is a fundamental right and that employees should not be filmed during their work. But the employees who appear in the picture have been made completely unrecognizable by the blurring of their heads. The court is therefore of the opinion that animal welfare in this case exceeds the right to privacy. Moreover, after seeing the images, inspectors also identified irregularities, which they reported in an official report.
The slaughterhouse was therefore convicted of animal abuse, but because the public prosecutor’s office did not appeal, the court can no longer impose a penalty. Animal Rights receives the requested symbolic compensation of one euro.