Lawyer Joseph Brincat has written on behalf of the owners of a dog which was drowned by a 16-year-old boy, explaining how the incident unfolded.
The case, which took place in Marsaxlokk, was revealed in court on Friday when the boy was arraigned and admitted to drowning the dog, claiming it had been aggressive towards him.
Legal aid lawyer Renzo Porsella Flores told Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera that the boy, who cannot be named because of his age, wanted to plead guilty but asked the court to take into consideration the circumstances of the case. He insisted his client had been acting in self-defence.
However, Police Inspector Arthur Mercieca noted that the teenager had admitted to him that at times he would lose his temper and, in certain situations, his self-control. The officer also noted that the sea where the incident occurred was too deep for the dog to be able to attack the boy.
The parents informed the inspector that the boy was under psychiatric care for his anger management problem and had been prescribed pills but he refused to take them, insisting he did not need them.
In a comment to timesofmalta.com, Dr Brincat, on behalf of the owners of the dog said:
"1. The dog, as accustomed, was swimming in the area known as Il-Ponta, where there is no sign prohibiting dogs from swimming.
"2. The dog was under a leash, which was released only for the dog to swim. The owner was present and asked the five young people sitting on the steps of Il-Ponta, whether they were going to swim. The lads and the girl replied that they were not. All of a sudden, one of the lads, who was eventually charged in court, started teasing his friends, and threw one of them into the sea. Then he himself decided to swim, after having already called the dog by a name, while still on shore.
"3. The same individual was calling the dog by the name "Bloody", when actually it was "Buddy". The dog playfully followed, incited by being called by a name similar to his. In spite of all calls from the owner for the young man to return to shore, he still swam out.
"4. The death of the dog occurred when the dog was in deep waters, through suffocation by holding the head under water for a considerable amount of time.
"5. When the young man returned to shore, as he had left his yellow top ashore, there were no scratch marks on him, which could be attributed to the dog.
"6. The dog was retrieved by a gentleman who was in a motorized dinghy, and on account of the condition of the sea, he could only land it near the Waterpolo pitch. This all happened in the presence of the owner, who still had the leash, and Mrs Janice Chetcuti of Animal Welfare."