Northern Greece court hands short jail sentences, fines over dog fights
Thirteen of 17 men arrested in Katerini on Sunday during a raid on a stable where dog fights were being organized, were given sentences of between two to eight months in jail, with the possibility of parole, and cash fines by a court in the northern Greek city on Tuesday.
The stiffest sentence was handed to the owner of the stable in which the dog fights were being held with an eight-month jail term and a fine of 5,000 euros for the inhumane treatment of animals. Three of the men were handed four-month jail sentences and another nine were given two-month terms and fines of 5,000 euros each.
All charges were dropped against four of the suspects for lack of evidence that they were actively involved in organizing or betting on the dog fights.
Officers recovered seven dogs at the scene of the raid, one of which had died. The animals were taken to a local veterinarian for treatment.
