The Bamboo court has convicted Jean Love Mercure, a 48-year-old surface technician of killing his dog. The suspect who pleaded guilty for his act, said he was unaware that there were procedures to do with the Mauritius Society for Animal Welfare (MSAW) if he wanted to get rid of his dog who had become a nuisance to other animals in his yard and the neighborhood. This resident of one of the NHDC apartments, Geoffroy, Bambous was sentenced to two weeks in jail and fined Rs 10,000.
Love Mercure was prosecuted under a charge of Killing animal”, under section 259 of the criminal code. He was arrested on the evening of Monday November 14. The next morning, he was brought before the court of Bambous and kept in a police cell. He was accused of hanging his dog who was waiting for her puppies before dumping her body on a vacant lot. The body of the animal was recovered and sent to the veterinary section of the Ministry of Agro-industry in Reduit for autopsy. Love Mercure had justified the atrocity of his act, “li ti pe manz tou mo poul”.
This case was brought to the attention of the police by an Animal Control Officer of the Ministry of Agro-industry in the early evening of Monday, November 14. The 29-year-old officer, who lives on Chemin Grenier, explained in his statement that he learned from the director of MSAW that a black and white dog of the ordinary breed had been hanged in a yard in Bambous. The image of this horrific scene was shared on Facebook.
After a raid on the home of this resident of Geoffroy, Bambous, the latter was quick to confess his guilt in this case. He had to lead the officers of the MSAW to a vacant lot not far from these apartments near the district council of Bambous where the body of the animal had been disposed of. He had beaten the dog before hanging it.
It was on Tuesday, December 6 that the magistrate of the court of Bambous pronounced the guilty verdict against Love Mercure.
