An Australian woman who was filmed throwing her dog from the top of a multi-storey garage has been sentenced to 12 months in prison.
THE Sydney Morning Herald reports that the owner, a 26-year-old woman named Amy Lea Judge, was charged and convicted of animal abuse at Midland Magistrates Court on Tuesday, December 19.
The judge’s sentence is 10 months for throwing the dog, a 10-year-old Maltese-Shih-Tzu mix named Princess, over the garage roof, and two months for unrelated incidents.
The Sydney Morning Herald also reveals that in addition to her sentence, the judge is also banned from owning an animal for 10 years.
Prosecutors called the judge’s actions “blatant, insensitive and cruel”.
The judge’s partner, Scott Frost, who was present at the time of the incident, was fined $2,500 and banned from owning animals for three years. It comes after the court was told he failed to collect Princess and immediately seek veterinary care for the dog following the incident.
The disturbing and tragic incident happened in April last year and was captured on CCTV.
(You can watch CCTV footage here. But please note that this video contains sensitive content that some people may find disturbing.)
The shocking CCTV footage showed the entire eight-minute ordeal during which the judge repeatedly took the dog to the ledge while running back and forth from her partner’s car.
After throwing the dog, Frost left while the judge walked away as if nothing had happened.
THE New York Post reports that the 10-year-old dog fell nine meters after being thrown and was later found by a member of the public.
The person who found Princess assumed the dog had been hit by a car and immediately took the dog to the nearest veterinarian.
When the dog was brought to the veterinarian, she was in shock and suffered serious injuries, including possible internal bleeding, brain damage, and spinal and pelvic trauma.
The judge was contacted by the veterinarian thanks to Princess’ microchip. Judge and Frost went to the vet to discuss the dog’s injuries and the cost of treatment.
But due to the severity of her injuries, Princess had to be put down. After the incident, the judge admitted her crime and posted it on Facebook (now deleted) and said She “I couldn’t live with the guilt” and that she did the princess a favor because all she did was “hurt and mistreat her”.
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Western Australia (RSPCA) Inspectorate Director Kylie Green describes the incident as the most distressing she has seen in her 11 years in the job.
Green said: “Dogs can be very trusting and rely on their owners to keep them safe. I can’t think of a more disgusting betrayal of that trust.
“Today’s outcome does justice to the pain and terror the poor princess endured in her final hours. I hope this also sends a clear message to the community that intentional animal cruelty is extremely serious and will not be tolerated. she continued.