A Montrealer Got One Of The 'Harshest Animal Cruelty Sentences Ever' For Horrific Pet Killings
He's also got a lifetime ban from pet ownership.
The façade of the Montreal SPCA.
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A Montrealer just got what the SPCA calls "one of the harshest animal cruelty sentences ever handed down in Quebec" after pleading guilty to "wilfully and without lawful excuse killing" a cat and dog.
On March 15, a judge sentenced Marc-Antoine Côté to 16 months in prison followed by three years of probation, two supervised by a probation officer. He also received a lifetime ban from both owning or keeping an animal and living in a place with an animal.
The SPCA's investigation division first began looking into Côté after receiving a notice in March 2022 that an individual had thrown a cat from a balcony. A necropsy later revealed, according to the organization, that the nine-month-old cat had been beaten prior to a fall and "had suffered fractures and injuries in the past."
Later that year, in September, police reported the discovery of a dog's body in the trash. The SPCA would come to link that incident to Côté, too, saying the dog died after a "serious" injury he inflicted.
He pled guilty to two charges in November 2022 and has been in custody since, the SPCA says.
"The suffering inflicted on the animals in the accused’s care is tragic," Montreal SPCA Investigations Division Director Alain Tessier said in a press release.
"The Investigations Division is proud of the work done on this case and hopes that the message is clear: anyone who breaks the animal cruelty laws will have to face the legal consequences of their actions."
The SPCA is encouraging Montrealers to report animal cruelty to its investigators by calling 514-735-2711, extension 2230, or submitting an account online.