Changes in the Animal Welfare Act are set to include an amendment that will essentially ban offenders found guilty of animal cruelty from owning or living with animals.

The legal change would also allow the courts to temporarily ban anyone accused of animal cruelty from pet ownership, until the case against them is concluded. 

It forms part of an effort by animal welfare commissioner Alison Bezzina to enforce a “zero-tolerance policy” on animal cruelty.

Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said that the amendment is being discussed in parliament, following recommendations made by magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech on February 22 of this year. 

“After the magistrate flagged limitations in the animal welfare act which prevented her from banning an individual found guilty of animal cruelty from owning a pet, we decided to take it on board and amend laws accordingly,” Zammit Lewis stated.

The minister was referring to a case in which a 50 year-old man admitted to killing a pet dog by throwing it down a two storey building while under the influence of medication and alcohol.

“People who abuse animals shouldn't be allowed to own them, especially if you have a person who is clearly showing they are incapable of taking care of them,” the minister said.

The length of pet ownership bans will be directly proportional to the severity of the animal cruelty case, with repeat offenders likely to be permanently banned from owning or living with animals. 

“The amendment sends a clear, strong message to anyone who is cruel to animals that we are taking these crimes seriously,” animal welfare commissioner Bezzina said.

Allowing temporary bans of people facing ongoing animal cruelty accusations would avoid the risk of repeat offenders getting away with it while their cases were still before the courts, she added. 

On February 22, another case heard by the aforementioned magistrate involved a man who admitted to recidivist animal cruelty and was found guilty of keeping nine dogs and several rabbits in deplorable conditions.

The man, 40 year-old Sergio Borg, was fined €20,000 and and sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment.

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