The convicted man, who poisoned two Red Cross dogs, will also have to pay a fine of more than $120,000.
A man was sentenced to more than ten years in prison this Tuesday in the central Mexican state of Querétaro for the murder of Athos and Tango, the rescue and emotional assistance dogs that were part of the emergency corps of the Mexican Red Cross, and for which a criminal trial on animal abuse was reached for the first time in the country’s history.
A judge sentenced ten years and six months in prison to the person responsible for poisoning the rescue dogs on June 13, 2021 after having provided him with poisoned sausages and causing him death to the two animals. Balam, son of Athos, also suffered a serious affectation due to adulterated food.
There are three crimes for which Benjamín ‘N’ was found guilty: aggravated crime against animals -one for the death of Athos and another for the death of Tango, as well as the aggression against Balam- for the injuries caused; and animal cruelty for the poison used. For this, in addition to jail, Benjamín ‘N’ will have to pay 2.3 million pesos (little over $115,000) to repair the damage, coupled with a fine amounting to 115,000 pesos (around 5,700 dollars).
“We achieved a prison sentence of ten years and six months and an exemplary reparation for the damage, according to the value of the puppies, the training and all the care they had and that were provided by their handler & rdquor ;, he declared to media the lawyer Mónica Huerta, legal adviser to Edgar Martínez, trainer and owner of Athos and Tango.
Considering the criterion that the judge contemplated for the determination of the sanction, the accused was granted the maximum sentence contemplated within the criminal contest, although this does not mean that the person responsible will immediately go to jail, since on August 30 will have to appear again in court session, where the sentence will be read. “Once the sentence is read, on August 30, he has 10 business days to appeal (& mldr;) He would have to exhaust his resources, the law grants him certain resources, such as the appeal and later. If the ruling on that appeal is not favorable, a direct protection would come & rdquor ;, Huerta added.
The lawyer explained that the judge considered that the degree of affectation due to the loss of both dogs was high, since Not only was the handler of the dogs harmed, but also society, for the work they carried out, for which he considered that it is an irreparable loss that “neither the penalty nor the economic amount are sufficient to repair the damage in this particular case & rdquor ;. This sanction, he added, makes it clear that in Querétaro and in Mexico the loss of a pet is no longer spoken of as an object, but as a living being that represents irreparable damage and a loss for a family.
Emmanuel Tovar Amador, a veterinarian in charge of the dogs trained by Edgar Martínez, considered that the fact that a trial has been reached sets a precedent for justice for animals in Mexico. “Today there is a penalty; However, the most important thing is that, through this punishment, we can avoid, work and what this is about is that animal abuse does not exist & rdquor ;, he considered.