Mayaro man pleads guilty to bestiality

A MAYARO labourer has been put on a bond to keep the peace for three years after he pleaded guilty to bestiality.

The man, who is now in his 40s, was sentenced by Justice Kathy Ann Waterman-Latchoo on June 11.

The judge encouraged him in strong terms to avoid trouble and remain in the confines of the law.

It was the prosecution’s evidence that the man was caught red-handed on April 23, 2012, in the Mayaro district with the male dog, described as a “pothound” named Whitey.

The dog was tied by the neck under a mango tree.

The resident told police the man's vest was over the dog’s mouth, and when seen by a villager, he was not wearing pants and was kneeling on a mattress, with a copy of a newspaper, engaging in a sexual act with the dog.

When seen, the man jumped a fence but police caught him a short while later close to his home. When held, he allegedly told police he was beaten in the bush but later admitted what he did.

Before pleading guilty, the man accepted the judge's maximum-sentence indication of three years’ hard labour. As he had already spent two years in prison before accessing bail, she put him on a bond to keep the peace.

At the time of the incident, police reported receiving complaints from residents of strange noises coming from a forested area close to Tham Trace at night.

They said the dog was docile and did not resist them. Veterinarians had advised investigators to take the animal to the Veterinary Hospital in Mt Hope for tests. The dog, reports said at the time, was then euthanised because of the nature of its injuries.

The accused was represented by public defender Shaun Morris.