The court decision to suspend the two-year jail term given to a man who shot and buried alive Star, the dog, does not dampen the message of intolerance towards animal cruelty, anthropologist Mark-Anthony Falzon believes.
The Star story has helped to raise animal awareness
“I don’t think this judgment sent out a message to go ahead and kill and bury a dog because the public outcry was so huge, as was the vilification of the person,” Prof. Falzon said.
On Monday, an appeal court reduced the punishment handed down to Alfred Vella, the 44-year-old farmer who admitted shooting and burying Star on May 19, 2011.
The two-year jail term given to Mr Vella was suspended for two years and a €10,000 fine was cut to €9,000.
This was done after the court took into account the fact that Mr Vella had filed an early guilty plea and had a clean criminal record.
Animal Welfare Directorate head Joseph John Vella agreed with Prof. Falzon’s view that the Star story had such a huge impact it would not be wiped out by the appeal judgment.
“The Star story has helped to raise animal awareness and this, in itself, contributed to raising public awareness and improving the attitude towards animals,” he said.
Star, a mixed-breed female, was discovered buried alive near Għar Ħasan in Birżebbuġa.
The sounds of her whimpering led rescuers to find the animal, which had been shot in the head and completely covered in soil except for her snout.
Star was alive when rescued but eventually died on June 6 from an acute inflammation of the pancreas.
Prof. Falzon said the appeal court’s decision was based on technicalities and was not a case of reducing the punishment because the judge thought the crime was not serious.
One had to keep in mind that a suspended jail term was still a serious punishment that tainted one’s criminal record and that a €9,000 fine was pretty hefty.
Mr Vella said he respected the judgment, adding that the role of the court was to decide on the case while taking into consideration all the facts, including the past criminal conduct and collaboration of the accused.
“The directorate has done its utmost to ensure that the evidence produced in court by the animal welfare officers was presented in a fair and transparent manner to highlight the circumstances of the case within the ambit of the Animal Welfare Act,” he said.
“The role of enforcement is not only to ensure that justice is served in a proportionate and dissuasive manner but, more importantly, so that defaulters acknowledge and learn from their mistakes.”
The story of Star had sparked a huge public outcry against animal cruelty, with calls for harsher punishments for such crimes.
A monument to Star was erected at San Franġisk animal hospital in Ta’ Qali and each year a walk is held in remembrance of the dog that also made international headlines.