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CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #3626 Rating: 3.6 out of 5
Tuesday, Aug 31, 2004
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 1 files available
Defendant/Suspect: Owen Waitere
Evie, the German shepherd beaten so badly she needed $2500 worth of surgery last September, has a new home - and so does the man who nearly killed her.
Auckland man Owen Waitere, 24, unemployed and of no fixed abode, was convicted of ill treatment of an animal and has been sentenced to three months in jail.
Auckland SPCA animal manager Rachel Green said it was the only animal abuse case she had heard of that resulted in a jail term when the animal had not been killed.
It was good judges were taking that kind of violence seriously, she said. "It would be brilliant if this sentence deterred people from abusing animals."
While just a puppy, Evie was punched, kicked and had a table thrown at her during the attack, which cracked her hipbone and gave her other injuries more consistent with being hit by a car.
"Evie spent three months in a cage. It's funny that his sentence is the same," Green said.
Evie is now eight months old.
Her new owners, Mary-Ruth and Theresa, who did not want their last name used, said Evie was loving their south Auckland farm.
"She is doing really well; she tries to chase the hens - even though she's not allowed," Theresa said.
The Sunday Star-Times helped raise nearly $4800 for treatment for Evie and her brother Boyd, who was also beaten and who also has a new home.
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