A man in his 40s who abandoned 21 pet dogs at home and moved out, leaving them to starve to death after moving out and failing to make any arrangements for their care, has been sentenced to a suspended prison term by a South Korean court.
According to South Korea’s legal community, on Wednesday, Judge Kim Bo Ra of the Criminal Division 13 at the Seoul Northern District Court sentenced the defendant to six months in prison, suspended for two years, and a fine of approximately $688 and 80 hours of community service. He was charged with violating the Animal Protection Act.
The defendant was indicted for leaving 21 pet dogs behind at his residence when he moved to a different location on February 24, 2024.
The dogs were left unattended for about five days before being rescued by police officers who responded to a report made via the emergency hotline 112 on February 29.
Due to the owner abandoning them without food, three of the dogs died of starvation. In a horrifying scene, some of the starving dogs were found eating the carcasses of the deceased ones.
Investigations revealed that the defendant had started raising a pair of dogs in 2020, but the number increased to 21 through continued breeding. Burdened by the cost of dog food and waste handling, he ultimately abandoned the dogs.
The court stated, “Although the defendant neglected his dogs, causing the deaths of three and abandoning the rest, and initially showed no remorse during the investigation, which indicates the gravity of the offense, the court considered the fact that he has since admitted to and shown remorse for his actions in determining the sentence.”
Comments0