A man sued by his pet dog over a vicious beating has been ordered to pay the pup GBP 650 compensation for the severe distress he caused it.
Accused Abynner de Andrade Ferreira Kosofski pled guilty after disturbing footage emerged showing him beating the dog senseless with a huge stick at his home in Brazil.
The footage, filmed on security CCTV in June 2023, at Campos Gerais do Parana, in the state of Parana, shows Kosofski bringing the club crashing down on the defenceless pooch nine times.
While Kosofski was seized by police, the dog, named Tokinho, was rescued by animal rights champions Grupo Fauna de Proteccao aos Animais (Fauna Group for the Protection of Animals).
In an unusual legal move, the group filed a civil legal case naming the pooch as the plaintiff.
Judges accepted the case and Tokinho’s abuser caved in, agreeing in a plea bargain with prosecutors to pay BRL 2,000 (GBP 322) in fines.
The alternative, it emerged, was a full criminal trial which could have seen him jailed for five years.
But the case came back to court after the Fauna Group objected to the reduced sentence, arguing that plea bargains are only legal in non-violent cases.
They sued Kosofski for moral damages in a second trial that ended on 25th April where judge Poliana Maria Cremasco Fagundes Cunha Wojciechowski ruled he had shown “harshness”.
The judge ordered him to pay BRL 5,000 (GBP 656) to Tokinho, to be held in trust by his new owner and used solely for the pup’s benefit.
She accepted the vet’s testimony which stated that the dog was left traumatised and with painful injuries from the brutal beating.
To add insult to injury, Kosofski was also ordered to pay BRL 820 (GBP 108) to the Fauna Group for the food and care they provided for Tokinho after he was rescued.
Lawyer Vinicius Traleski, who represents Tokinho and the animal rights group said: “We emphasise that this decision is very important.
“Not only for Tokinho, but also for the wider fight for animal rights, as it represents a major step forward for the animal welfare cause.
“It is not merely about a monetary amount, but rather the justice system’s response to a criminal act committed against a defenceless animal.”
The dog has since been found a new home with two teachers who renamed him Floquinho, which means snowflake in English.
Kosofski’s displeased defence team said they would appeal what they called the “unfair” sentence.
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below. Story By: Simona Kitanovska, Sub-Editor: Simona Kitanovska, Agency: Newsflash
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