Woman charged with ill-treatment of dog

A French national arraigned in court this morning withdrew her guilty plea related to an incident involving the ill-treatment of a dog.

Nina Schmitt, a 26-year-old waitress residing in St Julian’s, was this morning brought to court on charges of having struck a dog when inebriated, for which she had intended to plead guilty.

The court, presided by Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech heard that while in a drunken state, the accused had taken a Belgian Shepherd out for a walk with her friend.

At some point the dog ran away and when it returned she struck the animal with its dog chain. 

She maintained that the way she struck the animal matched the method she had learnt in France for disciplining a dog. Schmitt claimed that she had not used excessive force.

The police confirmed that animal welfare examined the dog and determined it had not sustained any injuries

The defence argued that animal welfare were in favour of the dog being returned to the accused, showing that they did not believe the dog to be in danger.

The woman's legal aid, Noel Cutajar, informed the court that he had advised the accused to plead not guilty, but she had insisted on pleading guilty because she was keen on having the dog returned to her.

On learning this, the magistrate warned the accused, who was being assisted by an interpreter, that she should not be admitting guilt for the sole reason of getting her dog back.

After a discussion with her lawyer and the magistrates warning, the accused decided to change her plea to not guilty, as she maintained that she had not actually ill-treated the dog.

The court granted bail against a personal guarantee of €1,000, and ordered the accused to sign-in at the St Julian’s police station on Monday’s and Friday’s between 8am and 8pm.

The case continues.