"Customer Complaints About Barking"... Man in His 60s Kills Neighbor's Dogs with Insecticide

Court Considers Lack of Prior Similar Offenses

A man in his 60s who fed food laced with insecticide to dogs raised by a neighboring resident, resulting in their deaths, was sentenced to a suspended prison term. He committed the act because customers had complained.

Asia Economy DB

On April 25, the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Kim Taeseong) sentenced Mr. A (65), who was indicted on charges of violating the Animal Protection Act, to eight months in prison, suspended for two years. The court also ordered probation.

Mr. A was put on trial on charges of causing the deaths of seven dogs by giving food mixed with highly toxic soil insecticide to dozens of dogs at a dog farm in Hwacheon operated by his neighbor, Mr. B, on January 12 last year.

According to the investigation, Mr. A committed the crime in a fit of anger after receiving complaints from customers at his restaurant that they were displeased by the sound of dogs barking from the dogs raised by Mr. B.

The court stated, "The defendant caused the death of the victim animals by cruel means, and as a result, the neighboring resident who was raising the animals likely suffered severe emotional and psychological trauma." The court explained the sentencing decision by adding, "The sentence was determined after considering factors such as the fact that the defendant has no prior record of punishment for similar crimes."