A Costa Rican court on Monday handed down a conditional two-year prison sentence to a man responsible for murdering his pet, a cat named Ochi, whom he threw from the sixth floor of a building in 2019, a fact recorded on video.
Judge Tatiana López sentenced Gabriel Saborío, 31, to two years in prison, the maximum sentence allowed by the animal welfare law, in force in the Central American country since 2017. He was also prohibited from living with animals.
However, he was given a pardon, so he will only go to jail if he commits a new crime within five years.
“The maximum penalty allowed by law”
In November 2019, Gabriel Saborío threw his pet from the sixth floor of a building in the capital San José, a fall of almost 30 meters. It was not until August 2020 that a procedure was opened, when the video of the incident went viral on social networks.
According to the autopsy, the animal had multiple fractures, a dislocation, pulmonary contusions and internal bleeding due to shock.
After falling, the cat was able to make it to a park where it was found and died despite help being brought to it.
The judge accused the defendant of being “ruthless” and of having “betrayed” his pet. “From the point of view of the penalty, we are satisfied because the maximum penalty allowed by law has been reached and that shows that animal abuse is not allowed in Costa Rica,” said Gustavo Corella, attorney for the prosecution in this case. .
Source: BFM TV
