Hobby hunter must pay 40’000 euros for shooting dog
The shot dog had shortly before won several prizes at a dog show in Great Britain.
For shooting a prize-winning dog, a 60-year-old hobby hunter has been sentenced by the criminal court in Leuven, Belgium, to six months in prison and ordered to pay compensation of 40’000 euros.
Four bullets fired at a Rhodesian Ridgeback
The three-year-old animal, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, was killed with four bullets on 23 March 2015 during a walk in Bierbeek (Flemish Brabant). To find the perpetrator, the owner had an autopsy carried out. The results led investigators to the man from Bierbeek, who was hunting in the forest at the time with at least ten other hobby hunters.
According to the owner, the animal had been on track to produce promising offspring. This led her to demand a remarkably high compensation of 224’000 euros, as the Grenzecho reports.
Six months in prison and 40’000 euros in damages
The court awarded the owner 1’000 euros in moral damages and 39’000 euros in material damages. The judge considered it proven that the hobby hunter had fired four bullets in the open countryside. The court followed the prosecution’s request and also sentenced the man to six months in prison. More on crime and recreational hunting.
