‘Abuse Will Not Be Tolerated’: Animal Commissioner Praises Punishment For Man Who Beat Horse’s Genitals Before Race
Malta’s Animal Commissioner has praised Malta’s Appeals Court for upholding a sentence given to a man found guilty of animal abuse.
“It’s clear that though slow, change is happening, and some of Malta’s judges are recognising well the gravity and consequences of animal abuse,” Commissioner Alison Bezzina said following the latest judgement
The case, which occurred back in 2018, saw 28-year-old Dylan Micallef accused of whipping his horse in its genitals in public in Triq Fortunato Mizzi, Rabat, Gozo, ahead of a horse race on 9th July, 2018.
Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech had heard how Micallef used a whip to beat his horse as two others, the horse jockey and his son, held it.
Due to the beating, the horse jumped free and bolted towards a crowd of people, injuring three of them.
One of the nearby men was left with a permanent disability.
When the horse ran away, the owner also ran away, court heard.
Magistrate Frendo Dimech had noted the act was “vile and cruel” and could not be justified. She also noted that the horse jockey and his son had lied in court to protect the horse owner; the jockey said another horse had hit their horse, causing it to be scared. The son said the horse had been accidentally struck with the whip.
She also noted that police officers failed to collected CCTV from the area after the event.
After all was considered, Micallef was found guilty of his charges and handed a 20-month prison sentence for three years alongside a €5,000 fine, which was reconfirmed in court last week.
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