Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Thankfully, Ignorance of the Law Is No Excuse

A man in Sweden used a prong (also known as pinch collar, or "stackelhalsband" in Swedish) on his dog. This is a type of collar with spikes, or prongs, on the inside, directed at the dogs neck and throat. It is illegal under animal protection laws in Sweden to use prongs.

According to a judgment by the Svea Court of Appeals on 25 November 2013 (court case number B 3857-13), the man has now been sentenced to fines for this.

In his defence, he said he did not know it was illegal in Sweden to use prongs. Neither court that tried the case considered this an excuse. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. In this case, I believe this legal principle worked better than most times.

My only regret is that he did not get a more severe sentence than fines.

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