Thessaloniki man sentenced for animal abuse
A man was handed an 18-month suspended prison sentence on Tuesday for torturing and killing a puppy in March.
The 39-year-old, who was also fined 5,000 euros, confessed to the incident, which occurred on the balcony of his apartment in Thessaloniki.
The case was made public on social media by animal rights groups.
The three-member court refused to accept his plea for leniency due to extenuating circumstances because of the psychological problems he claimed to be suffering from.
“I was under pressure after I split up [with my wife]. I wanted the dog to offer me company but I soon realized it needed a lot of care,” he told the court, adding that he made a mistake in not giving the puppy away.
