CRUELTY CHARGE FAILS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 140, 10 December 1931, Page 5

CRUELTY CHARGE FAILS

Edward Cottle, a farmer, of Trenthara, was charged by Captain J. Henry, of the S.P.C.A., in the Magistrate's Court at Upper Hutt yesterday with having caused an injured cow unnecessary suffering by wantonly or. unreasonably omitting to attend to it. He was represented by counsel and pleaded not guilty. It was alleged by tho prosecution that the cow, which was in Cottle's charge but did not belong to him, was being driven by another man over a level crossing on a Sunday morning and was struck by a train' and injured in a leg. The cow was put into an adjacent paddock, and: there it remained, according to the evidence for the society, without proper attention, until it was destroyed on Fri; day afternoon at the. instruction of Inspector Henry. The evidence for the defence described the arrangements Cottle had made for the animal's comfort, and emphasised i he fact that. Cottle had had over .50 years' experience with stock and was not a man who would ill-treat a cow.

The Magistrate (Mr. W. H. Woodward, S.M.) did not think it was a case of wanton cruelty. It might have been that proper attention was not given to the cow, but the defendant had issued instructions for such attention to be given. Mr. Woodward was of the opinion that the defendant had not been wantonly cruel, although he considered that on the information given to 'the inspector the charge: had been properly brought. The case \vas. dismissed. ,