According to France bleuA 20-year-old woman from the Manche region was found guilty of animal abuse by the Coutances court on Tuesday. She was sentenced to a two-month suspended prison sentence and a permanent ban on owning an animal. The authorities also took away her dog.
The young woman of 20 years old from the Manche was sentenced to two months of suspended prison for acts of animal abuse in Carentan. According to the testimonies of neighbors, veterinarians and the association 40 en chats, more than 50 animals would have passed through her apartment in only 4 years. The accused explained that she did not want to throw them away, but that she was acting under the orders of a voice that told her that they were ugly and useless. The association has filed two complaints, one of which is being examined at this hearing.
" I don't hear voices anymore, I have pills on purpose"
On June 12, 2021, two animals were thrown out of the window of a fourth floor apartment in a residence. A kitten suffered a broken leg and a puppy died from injuries sustained after the fall. The sister of the person involved raised the alarm and told investigators that this was not the first time. According to the president, the person was hearing voices and picking up animals to throw them to see if they would fly. A veterinarian had also made reports after receiving several animals in poor physical condition.
The young woman under guardianship, dressed in pants with Mickey motives, a bag in shoulder strap and a pink vest, seems lost in the bar, according to the testimonies of her lawyer, Marie Lunven, who declares "she is unable to take into account her pathology" and insists on the hospitalization of her client in specialized environment "without consent" during several months. The defendant declares " At the time, I was unhappy " and the president of the court adds " it is not because you go badly that you have right to send this animal by the window: it died the pup. It was perhaps necessary to oblige you to look after you ". The defendant affirms to have changed since the facts and declares " I do not hear voices any more, I have pills on purpose ".
" Judicial warning"
The president of the association 40 en chats, Rachel Moriceau, testified at the bar. She specifies that about fifty animals passed by the residence of the mother of the accused during four years. According to the collective, about twenty of them would have died in atrocious sufferings, some on the spot or had to be euthanized at a veterinary. Rachel Moriceau explains that this act would have been committed in the margin of an argument. The accused became angry upon hearing these words and exclaimed, "You're making me angry, and if I get angry, I'm going to have to get some air." Shortly thereafter, as the prosecution was about to begin its case, she burst into tears and the session was suspended.
The deputy prosecutor states that the facts are serious and that the profile of the accused is worrying. She specifies that the accused is not able to take care of an animal and that she attacks inferior beings because they are not able to defend themselves. She cautions, "Imagine... It could be a child. She is asking for a two month suspended sentence as a "judicial warning".
The lawyer for the accused maintains that when the latter commits the act, she is not aware of the seriousness of her actions, "it is not sadism or perversion" and asks for a dispensation of sentence. She insists on the vulnerability of the accused and that this must be taken into account. In the end, the court followed the prosecutor's request and also imposed a permanent ban on owning an animal and the confiscation of the detainee's dog. A second complaint of the association will be judged on April 17 before the court of Coutances.
