Isha Sesay
A MAN has been jailed for two years after admitting to repeatedly raping two horses in Mallorca.
The defendant admitted in court to having sexual relations with the mares at the farm where he worked in Alcudia.
He also confessed to penetrating the animals with sharp objects.
The abuse was uncovered in February 2018 when the owner of the two horses suspected that there was something wrong with them.
The mares had been behaving strangely for several weeks and had multiple lesions on their genitalia.
The owner subsequently called a vet and it was confirmed that they had both been sexually abused and were suffering from psychological trauma.
She then decided to install surveillance cameras in the animals’ barn to catch the suspected abuser.
A few days later, the suspect was seen on CCTV raping the horses.
The Guardia Civil were notified and the man was arrested.
Upon his sentencing, the Balearic Association of Lawyers for Animal Rights (ABADA) condemned the jail term.
They have submitted a request to the judge appealing for a longer prison sentence due to the ‘horrific nature of his crime’.
Meanwhile on the Costa Blanca, animals will get some of the best legal protection in Spain thanks to a new law.
Abusers could be fined up to €45,000 under the regional rules, which are being updated for the first time since 1994.
The Valencian Community measures aim to stop pet abandonment and abuse as well imposing standards on how an animal should be looked after.
The draft version of the law, which says that ‘animals have feelings’, has already been approved by the Valencian parliament.
