Updated - Court confirms jail for man who suffocated dog in bag

Updated - Adds court's considerations - An appeals court today confirmed a nine-month jail term given to 59-year-old Joseph Galea of Vittoriosa who, in October 2011, admitted to causing the death of his pet boxer dog Gaia. The dog had suffocated after Mr Galea placed it in a plastic bag and dumped it in a skip in Kalkara. The court reduced his €20,000 fine to €4,000. Joseph Galea, had told the police that he decided to The appeals court commented that, unfortunately, Malta had a dismal record on animal rights. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, who had said that “the greatness of a nation could be judged by the way its animals are treated”, the judge highlighted cases of animal cruelty that shocked the country. He mentioned crucified cats and dogs, carriage horses left in the sun for long hours so their owners could earn a pittance, dogs tied up and exposed to the natural elements, organised dog fighting and hunting for entertainment. The judge noted in his judgment that the fine was reduced because Mr Galea could not afford the original and if that were converted to jail time, the duration he would have spent behind bars would exceed the maximum allowed by law. Noting that “life was...