Teen kills his and partner’s dog: Spanish court extends gender violence law to animal cruelty case

MADRID – A court in Spain has convicted a man for killing a puppy in front of his partner in a ruling that for the first time applied a gender violence law to a case of animal abuse.

A specialist gender violence court on the island of Gran Canaria found the 18-year-old guilty of throwing the four-month-old puppy the couple jointly owned off a cliff while threatening to take his own life.

It handed him a suspended sentence of one year and one day in prison, according to the ruling dated Sept 22 obtained by AFP on Sept 24.

“The animal’s death was intentionally employed as a means to inflict psychological damage,” the court said.

As a result, the court said the case should be viewed “through a gender perspective” and be recognised as “vicarious violence against a companion animal” which needs “stronger punitive measures”.

Acts of vicarious violence – or violence by proxy – usually refer to a form of gender-based abuse where a partner harms a child in order to inflict suffering on the mother.

This is the first time a Spanish court has applied legislation against vicarious violence to a case where an animal was harmed, Spain’s legal watchdog, the CGPJ, said in a statement, calling it a “groundbreaking ruling”.

The court also barred the man from approaching or contacting the woman for two years and one day.

Spain is a pioneer in the fight against gender-based violence.

A law that entered into force in 2005 introduced a range of new support measures for women, including specialised courts, free legal assistance, emergency housing and prosecution even if the victim did not submit a complaint.

As well as gathering statistics on feminicides, the Spanish government also monitors vicarious violence.

Figures from the equality ministry show more than 60 children have been murdered by their father, or by their mother’s companion or ex-companion since 2013. AFP