New features are coming soon. Login with Facebook to get an early start and help us test them out!
CONVICTED: Was justice served?
more information on voting
When you vote, you are voting on whether or not the punishment fit the crime, NOT on the severity of the case itself. If you feel the sentence was very weak, you would vote 1 star. If you feel the sentence was very strong, you would vote 5 stars.
Please vote honestly and realistically. These ratings will be used a a tool for many future programs, including a "People’s Choice" of best and worst sentencing, DA and judge "report cards", and more. Try to resist the temptation to vote 1 star on every case, even if you feel that 100 years in prison isn’t enough.
Case #6275 Rating: 3.7 out of 5
Wednesday, Feb 12, 2003
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Barbara Gladden
On December 23, 2003 in the Ontario Court of Justice in Sundridge, 48 year-old Barbara Gladden, currently residing in North Bay, plead guilty to failing to provide food, water, shelter and care to several cats, contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada. The charges were laid by the Ontario SPCA following an investigation last February.
Acting on a complaint, an inspector from the Ontario SPCA's Parry Sound Branch attended Gladden's Loring-area property on February 12, 2003. Several cats were discovered being kept in a filthy, unheated wooden shed on the owner's property. An extremely emaciated cat was found near death and the surviving cats were cannibalizing another.
The owner surrendered the cats to the Society and a subsequent veterinary examination of the cats revealed them to be suffering from various stages of dehydration and emaciation. The cats all showed signs of upper respiratory infections, flea and ear mite infestations, internal parasites, and frostbite.
Post mortem results of the dead cat revealed that it had died of starvation and exposure, and that the others had cannibalized it while it was still alive. Tragically, the dying cat did not survive and post mortem results indicated that it died as a result of extreme emaciation and exposure to sub-zero temperatures. Lesions on the body suggested that the cats had begun to cannibalize it as well.
As a result of her conviction, Justice J.B. Wilson imposed a suspended sentence and placed Gladden on 24 months probation. She was also prohibited from owning or having the custody or control of any domestic animal or bird, except for dogs, for the maximum period of two years as allowed under the Criminal Code. Gladden must also submit to random inspections of her residence by the Ontario SPCA during the probation period.
References