Brutal Wild Boar Killer Convicted

Valentin Stocker, having initially denied the act, has largely confessed.

Editorial Team Wild beim Wild — 23 March 2016

This Wednesday, 23.3.2016, the trial against wild boar killer Valentin Stocker of Böttstein took place at the District Court of Zurzach.

Early on Wednesday morning, around a dozen people gathered in front of the district court in Bad Zurzach. With plastic wild boar heads and placards, they announced their cause: the man who brutally ran over four wild boars — a sow and three piglets — with a car in Böttstein should receive the maximum sentence. They demanded three years in prison for the defendant, who entered the courthouse through the back entrance.

They hoped the demonstration would keep the case in the public consciousness, explained Erwin Kessler, founder of the Association Against Animal Factories: “This case should not pass by unnoticed.”

Animal welfare advocate Kurt Amsler, the initiator of the petitions with over 6,000 signatures, was also present. For him, the demonstration is an important step: “We want to show that we are still here and still following what is happening in this case.” The petitions also stated that Valentin Stocker had allegedly kept cows chained in a stall on his farm for over 10 years, without daylight or outdoor access.

The act committed by Valentin Stocker was “shocking,” said Katharina Büttiker, President of the Board of Trustees of Animal Trust. The animals had suffered immeasurable torment.

Yet animal cruelty is today almost never punished, even though it would be possible, she said. In the case of Valentin Stocker, the district court should therefore set a “clear signal” with a severe sentence.

The incident occurred on the evening of 7 October 2015 in Böttstein AG. The public prosecutor reported that the wild boar sow, suffering from severe internal injuries and a shattered spine, had lain wounded in the field for longer than initially assumed — namely 12 hours — before finally being put out of her misery by a hobby hunter. It also became clear that there are grounds to believe that even more wild boars were hit and injured by Valentin Stocker. (Wild beim Wild reported).

The prosecution charges him with multiple counts of animal cruelty, multiple offences against the Federal Act on hobby hunting and the protection of wild mammals and birds, multiple violations of the Aargau Hunting Act as well as breach of traffic regulations.

Valentin Stocker, having initially denied the act, has largely confessed.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVb5PLPdPmU%5D

A Charming Family Affair

In the course of the trial it emerged today that Valentin Stocker was not alone in the vehicle at the time of the offence, but was accompanied by his 13-year-old nephew, who was forced to endure the bloody rampage. The nephew later lied to protect his uncle during the investigation and now faces criminal proceedings himself.

A farmer friend who had shielded the accused during the investigation has also been convicted by summary penalty order of making a false statement as a witness, receiving a suspended six-month prison sentence and a fine of 3,000 francs. “Does that not give you pause for thought?” asked the judge. “I have nothing to say about that,” replied the farmer.

Valentin Stocker’s partner only learned of the incident two months later — from her partner’s sister-in-law. It does hurt her that he said nothing to her. But: “It has no impact on the relationship. We stand by each other for better or for worse.” Valentin Stocker is a kind-hearted person, she said. Her partner had always been very fond of animals: “He would not simply kill an animal for no reason.”

No Grounds for Vigilante Justice

The public prosecutor spoke of “dramatic scenes” that had unfolded on that evening. The accused had hunted the animals in the truest sense of the word, taking the law into his own hands for the most trivial of reasons. The animals had died in agony. The degree of culpability was grave. He had shown no tangible remorse. He had denied everything and caused a great deal of trouble for his nephew and the farmer friend.

The prosecutor is demanding a suspended prison sentence of 15 months and a fine of 4,000 francs for multiple counts of animal cruelty and other offences. In addition, he is to pay court costs of 7,000 francs.

She also reproached the defendant for having denied the act for a long time. "It is remarkable how often he lied," she said. Only in pre-trial detention, faced with overwhelming evidence, did he come clean.

Defence counsel seeks a fine and compensation

Valentin Stocker's defence counsel requested a far more lenient sentence: a suspended fine of 30 daily rates. In addition, his client should receive compensation of 300 francs because he had been detained without cause for one day. The legal costs, he argued, should also be borne by the state.

"My client acknowledges that he made a mistake. But he is no monster," he told the court. He once again emphasized that Valentin Stocker had acted on a momentary impulse — one that was excusable given the “backstory.”

Verdict: a slap on the wrist

At 4:00 p.m., the District Court of Zurzach delivered its verdict. At a suspended prison sentence of 18 months, it was harsher than the prosecutor had demanded — yet the brutal animal abuser will not go to prison. He must pay a fine of 4,000 francs and court and investigation costs totalling over 10,000 francs. According to his own statements, Valentin Stocker receives between 60,000 and 65,000 francs in agricultural subsidies per year. The expenses will therefore cause him no real hardship. The act was found to have been deliberate. He did not act in the heat of the moment, but ran over the animals “out of selfish motives.” The court considered his conduct after the act to be an aggravating factor: the defendant had shown no genuine remorse or insight.

The private plaintiff, the Wessenberg hunting association, will also receive 395 francs.