When the killer of the dog star saw his sentence commuted, a good portion of Malta groaned in collective frustration and irritation.

The man had shot a dog because she was old and ill with a homemade shotgun. It didn’t really fire properly as it did not finish the job. The dog was severely injured, so lacking the guts to do what he should have, he buried her alive. Somehow, Star managed to work her muzzle free, and who can forget the shocking photograph of the poor mite struggling to survive and breathe.

She was taken in for treatment and responded well, but eventually died after being re-homed. It literally became a national tragedy, so much so, that a monument was put up in her memory. In having to suffer, that poor dog raised awareness about cruelty to animals to unheard of levels. So when the accused saw his jail term commuted to a suspended term, many were livid. The court also reduced the accused’s fine from €10,000 to €9,000.

But let us analyse this situation more objectively. People have received lesser punishments for much more serious crimes. Sexual predators have been let off with suspended sentences after having abused of children. Equally, there are people who have been found guilty of much lesser crimes – petty theft, for example. One must also look at the jail term given to a young British man for growing a cannabis plant. Above all else, one must look at the other punishments given to people who were found guilty of being cruel to animals.  The point I am getting at is that everything is disproportionate. There is far too much variation in the punishments handed down. The country’s legal system needs to provide for more guidelines as for when it comes to sentencing people found guilty of committing a crime. That does not mean an automatic harsh sentence. It means that the law should be better explained and set out. This could mean that leniency may be shown under certain criteria. It could also mean that a harsher punishment is imposed under other conditions. Personally, I believe that Star’s killer should have served jail time. But equally, I believe that other perpetrators of cruelty should have got the same – but they didn’t.

John Falzon

Swieqi