Edmonton man given jail time for what judge calls “sickening” case of animal abuse

WARNING: This story contains details some may find disturbing.

EDMONTON – An Edmonton man has been sentenced to 14 months in jail for what the judge described as a “sickening” case of animal abuse.

“It’s definitely one of the longest sentences for sure,” said Crown Prosecutor Christian Lim.

The Crown wanted 21-year-old Kristopher Barwell to spend 20 to 24 months in jail, in hopes of sending a strong message that this type of abuse will not be tolerated. Lim called this one of the worst animal cruelty cases he’s ever seen.

“This is a horrendous crime, it’s not just about the injuries or the pain,” he said. “Because these animals can’t actually talk or speak or open a door or call out for help, we need legislation or we need sentences that reflect the vulnerability of such a victim.

“Since we started the Animal Protection portfolio in 2010, this is clearly the worst case. It’s basically been described as torture.”

In May, Barwell pled guilty to abusing his Border Collie, Zeus. The charges date back to July 2012, when Barwell’s then-neighbour called police after she saw him beating his dog.

“I would hope that anybody would do what we did. I’d be ashamed of knowing anybody who wouldn’t do what we did,” Yvonne Scott said Thursday. “Awful. Awful, awful. A tiny little 20-pound dog, innocent, just cowering. Awful.”

Zeus, whose name has since been changed to Kaden, was left with deep puncture wounds to his head and ear, had several burn marks around his neck, and suffered more than one fracture in his pelvis. He was also found with chipped teeth, burns on his hip and leg, as well as maggots around his head and neck. The Edmonton Humane Society said he even had two embedded bullets in his body.

“We’re very, very pleased with what we saw today,” said EHS spokesperson Shawna Randolph. “We wanted jail time, we wanted justice. We wanted payment for the abuse, for the torture.

“He was so incredibly broken, so horribly abused when he came to us and we wanted this to be a deterrence.”

After what she witnessed, Scott said she’s happy with the result, but added “I think there needs to be more sentencing like this.”

The Defence was asking for a sentence of two years of house arrest. It argued Barwell was dealing with depression and substance abuse at the time, and he is recovering. However, the judge decided a conditional sentence would not be appropriate.

Barwell was also given two years probation and ordered not to own a pet for 15 years.

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With files from Fletcher Kent, Global News.