A Spanish court sentenced Carmen Marin Aguilar, the head of an animal shelter, to three years and nine months for killing hundreds of healthy dogs and cats.
The court of Malaga also slapped her with a fine of 19,800 euros ($20,800) because she was found guilty of document falsification and animal cruelty.
Felipe Barco Gamez, a janitor at the Parque Animal shelter in Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol, was sent to prison for one year and ordered to pay a fine of 3,600 euros. It is supposed that both of them killed the animals to get profits.
The court stated that Aguilar injected healthy animals of different breeds, mainly dogs and cats, without sedation, while Gamez held the animals down.
They killed a big number of animals to get profits
Aguilar used a small dose of euthanizing drugs, less than is advised, and injected it into muscle tissue instead of intravenously. This caused a painful and prolonged agony in the animals.
Prosecutors accused the pair of having killed 2,183 animals between January 2009 and October 2010. It is believed that the pair slaughtered the animals to reduce costs and get profits.
The shelter for the animals also provided paid grooming services and a private animal clinic although the director did not have a veterinary diploma.
Aguilar and Gomez denied killing the animals
Prosecutors said the pair disconnected security cameras when killing the animals and they would play loud music to mask the crimes.
Both Aguilar and Gomez denied the abuses against the animals. Aguilar told the court that she "loves animals" and could not have killed them because she has phobia of needles.
She declared that she doesn't even dare to cut the nails of the animals. Anyway, the court found her guilty of crimes against the abandoned animals.
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