Animal groomer accused of animal cruelty, again

An animal groomer has been accused of animal cruelty for the second time.

Mario Aquilina, 48, of Hamrun, was accused today of cruelty to animals which he kept in 'small, rusty and dirty' cages. He was also accused of having threatened an officer of the Animal Welfare Department.

The prosecution said in court that Mr Aquilina had accused animal welfare officer Emanuel Buhagiar of having given false testimony in the first court case. He also allegedly threatened the officer.

Last year, Mr Buhagiar described in court how  the department raided Mr Aquilina's shop, High Society Canine Beauty, at Hamrun, following a number of complaints about the smell emanating from it.

Inside the shop, department officers found 51 animals, including cats, dogs, three rabbits and a rooster, not all of which were for sale.

The animals were in very small cages, including rusty ones. Some did not have water or food, there was lack of ventilation and some cages were left dirty with animal waste.