A man whose pit bulls mauled to death his 95-year-old grandmother has been sentenced to a year and eight months in prison. 

Andre Galea failed to prevent the attack on his grandmother, who “suffered greatly in her last moments as she was bitten and torn apart by the dogs owned by her beloved grandson", a court ruled.

In September 2020, Ines Maria Galea and her pet chihuahua, Betty, were mauled to death by Galea’s two pit bulls, “Bullet” and “Chica,” who were subsequently euthanised.

Magistrate Donatella Frendo heard how the elderly woman was found dead in a pool of blood with part of her lower leg and foot missing.

Ines was killed along with her pet dog.

Throughout proceedings, the court heard how Andre Galea had been breeding dogs while he lived with his grandmother in their Msida home. He eventually moved out but kept the dogs at his grandmother’s residence.

The judgment issued on Tuesday said that dog breeder Galea perpetually neglected his duties as a dog owner and, for years put his grandmother in danger by keeping the pit bulls there.

The court ruled that Galea was well aware that his pit bulls had aggressive tendencies.

“There is no doubt that he should have foreseen that by allowing the dogs to roam in close proximity to the elderly woman, sooner or later, he was inviting a tragedy," the magistrate said in her judgment. 

Police and forensic experts at the scene of the attack in Msida. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

"That is exactly what happened. Undoubtedly, there was not only gross negligence but also both intellectual and material abandonment."

Considering her penalty, Frendo said that Galea’s criminal record, which includes breaking public order and dangerous driving, paints a picture of “who Andre Galea really is.”

She described him as "a man who cannot restrain himself in his frenzy to live his life with total negligence and abandonment, disregarding the dangers and safety of others".

Besides the 20 months in prison, the court also fined Galea €2,224.

In her judgement, Frendo said the maximum penalty that the judiciary can administer for involuntary homicide, two years, was too low. 

"Is it possible that this is the value we are placing on a human life? Has it become worth so little, less than a decent new vehicle?" she asked.

"There is no doubt that the way a society views human life, how it cares for and protects it, reflects the values upheld by that society and, ultimately, by its individual members".