Man sentenced to house arrest for fatally stabbing dog with “spear”

CANADA -- A man who stabbed a dog to death in Richmond Hill will spend nine months under house arrest and serve 18 months probation, a Newmarket court ruled.

William J. Bennett, 69, was found guilty this week of fatally stabbing a five-year-old Sheltie named Diesel in April of 2012. The judge described the act as “cruel and heartless.”

The sentence was handed out as a Molly Gayne, the dog’s owner, choked back tears in the courtroom.

“I’m happy he got something. I hope he learns something from it,” she told the Richmond Hill Liberal. “Diesel was part of the family.”

Gayne told the court how Diesel helped her overcome breast cancer, forcing her to get out of the house to take him for walks.

“He got me out of bed and really helped me cope,” she told the court.

Bennett was often seen taking walks with a sharpened walking stick, which some neighbours described as “a spear.” It was the same stick he used to stab Diesel in the mouth during a walk on Pine Bough Manor, a residential street in Richmond Hill.

“I had to watch him gag on his own blood as he laid down and died,” Gayne said, adding that the attack was unprovoked.

The judge ruled that Bennett must now walk with a rubber attachment on the bottom of his walking stick, reimburse Gayne for the dog’s autopsy and perform 100 hours of community service.

Since the attack, Bennett has moved out of the Richmond Hill neighbourhood and into a co-op building that bans pets.

(The Star - Mar 15, 2013)

Earlier:

• ‘Sweet’ dog killed in violent spear attack in Richmond Hill