CYPRUS -- A 47-year-old man from Larnaca was sentenced on Friday to two months in jail for mistreating and abusing a dog and a puppy almost four years ago.
Kyriakos Hadjistefanou was found guilty by the Larnaca District court of the charges after the dog, an English Setter, and the cross-breed puppy were found in a terrible state at a forest area in Mackenzie on May 31 in 2012.
Witness to the case, Stella Stylianou of Argos Sanctuary, told the Cyprus Mail that she was alerted of the case by an American tourist who saw the dogs and brought them food during his stay.
He emailed her once he got to Los Angeles after authorities were unable to take action while he was in Cyprus.
Arriving on the scene, she saw the dog in a cage with wounds on his body and one large wound on his ear. With barely anything to eat and filthy water, it was in a terrible state.
Stylianou said the puppy, about three months old, was kept in a plastic box used to transport baby chickens. Although the tourist would buy it food, he couldn’t open the box to feed it.
Alerting the police who arrived at the scene along together the veterinary services, she got the nod of approval to take the dogs and treat them.
“The puppy had an infection in one of its eyes. It was the colour of marble,” and several painful wounds.
The Setter had Ehrlichia, a blood disease that could lead to its death if left untreated.
Hadjistefanou, a hunter, had the dog micro chipped but not registered. It was the vet who arrived on the scene that managed to link the case, Stylianou said.
“I think the sentence is too low and not strong enough. The fact that he allowed the animals to reach that state is unacceptable.”
Of course, “the sentencing in Cyprus is overall too low” when it comes to animals, she added.
“The public read about this and the message is not getting through to government and the courts… animal abuse is one of the worst crimes which can be committed,” as other matters also stem from it.
“We have a long way to go,” she concluded.
Last month, Attorney-general Costas Clerides filed an appeal at the Famagusta district court against the recent acquittal of the two suspects tried and acquitted of the torture and death of Billy, the stray dog that died in the summer of 2014 after it was thrown alive in a hotel’s cardboard crusher in Protaras.
Last April, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal of 66-year-old Andreas Ioannou who was sentenced to two months imprisonment by the Limassol District Court on charges of animal abuse, negligence and assaulting police officers.
Ioannou’s case had shocked animal lovers, since the retired professor was arrested after tying his dog to the car and dragging it to its death.
The Supreme Court also imposed a lifelong ban on Ioannou, who is now forbidden from ever owning a dog again.
Animal Party head Kyriakos Kyriakou had told the Cyprus Mail at the time that while the prison sentence was a success, he was not pleased that the Supreme Court did not impose a stricter penalty.
The maximum sentence for animal abuse is a year in jail and/or a €1,700 fine.
Ioannou’s case was the first time anyone was sentenced to jail for animal abuse.
The crime took place on Christmas Day 2013. The police officers saw the educator’s Land Rover pass by with his dog – a Rottweiler named Bruno – tied on the back and dragged through the streets.
(Cyprus Mail - Jan 15, 2016)
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