Puppy beaten with hammer buried alive
Victoria, BC (CA)Incident Date: Sunday, Jan 2, 2000
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Ivan Vancoughnett
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
Angry animal lovers went to the courthouse with their dogs Tuesday to catch a glimpse of a man accused of beating a five month old puppy with a hammer and then burying it alive.
Ivan Vancoughnett, 48, made a brief first appearance in court Tuesday on charges of cruelty to animals and injuring an animal. Vancoughnett was supposed to appear Tuesday morning, but court officials said later he would not appear until the afternoon. After reporters and many spectators left the courthouse, Vancoughnett was whisked in an out with few ever seeing him.
He remains in custody and will appear in court again Thursday for a bail hearing.
In an interview in the courtroom later Tuesday, Vancoughnett's lawyer Tom Morino said his client is charged with hitting a dog with a hammer, "and without anyone know any more than that it receives national attention."
"I just don't want to add to the frenzy of attention this is receiving."
Marino added he has another client accused of beating another man to death with a hammer.
"It received no media attention," he said.
Earlier, outside the court, Morino told reporters he's holding off on asking to have Vancoughnett released on bail until he can assemble documents in connection with a spousal dispute for which his client is on probation.
The lawyer said he'll tell Vancoughnett's side of the story Thursday.
He said Vancoughnett suffers from a head injury from an accidental shooting.
The attack occurred Sunday outside a suburban Victoria trailer court where Vancoughnett had recently moved.
Since the story hit the media, the local RCMP detachment has fielded many calls from citizens wanting to know the accused's name.
"They were very concerned that he's a menance and danger to the community and could harm others, not just animals," Cpl Rick Lavin said.
Police did not initially release Vancoughnett's name. It was made available in public court documents Tuesday.
Lavin said the RCMP decided not to release the name to protect people close to Vancughnett who could be harmed or harassed by people angry about the incident.
Animal activists who attended court said they were there to stand up for a defenseless animal.
"To think that somebody could do something like that to an innocent animal, and especially a puppy ....," said Susan Woods, a Greater Victoria Animal Crusaders member.
Under current laws, crimes against animals result in summary convictions with a maximum penalty of six months' imprisonment, a $2,000 fine or both.
Legislation was tabled in Ottawa last November to crack down on animal cruelty. Under the proposed new law, animal abusers would face unlimited fines or a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Rambo received a hammer blow to the left eye and another to the top of his head. Residents of the Arbutus Ridge Estates Mobile Home Park reported hearing yelping and said they saw a man with a hammer.
When manager Terry Shankland went to investigate, he found one of the tenants had beaten the dog until he thought it was dead and buried the dog in a fence area beside his trailer.
Shankland ordered the man to dig the dog up. The dog was still alive.
Case Updates| Ivan Vancoughnett, 49, of Sooke will plead guilty at his next court appearance in Western Communities provincial court on Oct 2, 2001. He will plead guilty to a cruelty-to-animals offence. The charge has a maximum sentence of six months in jail or a fine. Vancoughnett will agree to a three-year probation term with one of the conditions prohibiting him from having any pets. Rambo, the dog that was beaten and buried alive, has been nursed back to health and lives with an Island family. | Source: Victoria BC Times-Colonist - Sept 25, 2001
Update posted on Mar 11, 2005 - 11:35AM |
References- The Ottawa Citizen - Jan 4, 2000
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