Cologne --
How common: A Cologne (25) has at the roadside in Meschenich played football with a hedgehog, and then tried to put the little animal on fire. Since the introduction of the new Animal Welfare Act, a case for the Cologne District Court.
After all, who torments a vertebrate expected to be fitted with up to one years imprisonment.
Peter K. (25, name is changed) a plumber and holds a Mechelen-Shepherd. The incident happened in late September last year. Peter wanted to fix in an open area near the "Cologne Berg's his car, had his dog with unangeleinten. Who discovered the non-x 1000 gram hedgehogs and poked his nose after the animal.
The little hedgehog was doing what nature has given him the defense: He curled up into a spiny ball. The dog was made to feel on the nose, as these are sharp spines. And howled aloud.
What happened next was the prosecutor in the District Court as follows: "For this not to happen again, he leinte the dog is not around, but the hedgehog was repeated with such force that he repeatedly flew away several feet." On top is Peter K. have set fire to paper or cardboard and placed on the hedgehog.
It saw a 48-year-old teacher who stood in her apartment in Meschenisch the window. "Turn out the fire immediately," she called out to the 25-year-olds to unmistakably loud. On the witness stand she told the court: "When he realized that there were witnesses, he stopped immediately." She called the police. The ashes placed signs on to the hedgehog. Otherwise, the animal had no injuries, officials put it into a bush.
Peter wanted to know about animal cruelty in court yesterday, nothing. "I have the hedgehog just something pushed aside," he says. And: "Then I burned in my garage, bank statements, the pieces bore the wind to the hedgehog."
"I do not take them off," said the judge, not least because of the credible testimony of the neighbor. She threatened with a hefty penalty. After consulting with his lawyer Peter finally said: "The incident I'm sorry." This quasi-confession saved him from a conviction. The judge instead imposed a monetary edition of 500 euros to the pound ruler to pay.
