A 21-year-old Kelowna man accused of torturing and killing his pet hamsters is now accused of posting the horrific act online.
Leighton Labute was originally charged with six animal cruelty offences for allegedly torturing and killing three of his hamsters in May of 2019.
In an email to Global News, the BC Prosecution Service confirmed those charges were consolidated to two animal cruelty charges — one of causing unnecessary suffering and another of injuring or endangering a pet.
But in addition to those, Labute has now been charged with publishing obscene material, allegedly posting it to a Reddit thread a year later.
The charge, according to B.C. online court documents, is section 163(1)(a) of the Canada Criminal Code, which involves making or publishing obscene matter.
While video of the young man showing his new pet hamsters was published in 2019 to Labute’s YouTube account with the description “Pin stabbed, Drowned, Microwaved,” the video of the alleged act was apparently removed.
Other videos posted to his social media accounts show dark violence with clay figurines.
Community outrage over his release back into the community while his case goes through the courts has led to protests outside Kelowna’s courthouse for each of his appearances.
His case continues to make its way through the court system, with his next appearance scheduled for Nov. 3.