Michael Thorpe Guilty

After a series of court sessions, on Monday Michael Thorpe was found guilty of unlawfully destroying ‘Pepper’ the dog.  The sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday at 2pm.

In two Rulings, made in the magistrate’s court on Monday, the verdict of Chief Magistrate Duncan Cooke was to find Michael Thorpe guilty of destroying a dog without lawful excuse, contrary to the Criminal Damage Ordinance, 1979.  Mr Thorpe was also found guilty of failing to comply with a condition subject to which a firearms certificate was issued in that he used a gun for purposes other than sport or vermin control contrary to the Firearms Ordinance, 1997..

In one of three Rulings made in the court sessions on this case, Duncan Cooke said “On the evidence it is clear that Mr Thorpe was entitled to protect his fish from the dog at the time the dog was in the pond and the issue for the criminal damage is whether the means of protection were reasonable having regard to all the circumstances.”  The Chief Magistrate also stated, “We find that, having regard to the interviews, that Mr Thorpe believed he had a right to shoot a dog on his land. We find that this belief, combined with the fact that he chose to get a gun and load it before going to look for the dog, demonstrates so that we are sure that his intention was to shoot and kill the dog whatever the circumstances he found it in.”

A Full Report Will be in Thursday’s Independent