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Animal cruelty sentence involves fine, prohibition
Bud Wilcocks pleads guilty
by Paul Galinski | reporter@prpeak.com
An animal cruelty case in Powell River Provincial Court resulted in a guilty plea, a $500 fine and a five-year prohibition from owning animals.
Bud Wilcocks pleaded guilty after having been charged with causing distress to an animal under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The charges relate to seizure of six goats and three ponies from a Powell River property on February 3.
Tina Heary, special provincial constable with the BCSPCA cruelty investigations department for mid-Vancouver Island and the Powell River regions, said she was in court and heard the plea and sentence. She is still awaiting the official court order from Crown counsel, but said that she heard the judge’s comments.
Heary said her understanding is that Wilcocks’ fine is payable in $100 installments, so he has five months to pay. The five-year prohibition states that during that time, Wilcocks cannot have control or custody of animals.
“I’m waiting to read the court order to see the language that was used in the prohibition,” Heary said. “I certainly was hopeful there would be a lifetime ban. I do know that’s one of the sentencing recommendations that Crown counsel had asked the judge to consider. Based on the level of suffering and degree of neglect on the property, I think that would have been a fitting sentence.”
Heary said, however, the BCSPCA is always pleased when Crown counsel accepts an animal cruelty file. “Less than one per cent of animal cruelty cases actually make it into the court system,” she said. “To actually get a case accepted and approved by Crown is our first win, then to actually have the case go to the next stage where we get a guilty plea or somebody is found guilty, that again is a win, because there is some accountability there. I certainly wish that the sentence had been lengthier.”
Heary said she had forwarded photographs from the investigation to her supervisor prior to Wilcocks being convicted or pleading guilty. “There were a number of details that could not be released to the media prior to the court case, but now the SPCA is able to do so,” Heary said. “We are intending on having that listed on our website so viewers can see the photographs of the conditions as they were.”
The animals that were seized from Wilcocks’ property survived and were adopted. In addition to the living animals, Heary also seized three goat carcasses that were deceased on arrival.
Bud Wilcocks pleaded guilty after having been charged with causing distress to an animal under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The charges relate to seizure of six goats and three ponies from a Powell River property on February 3.
Tina Heary, special provincial constable with the BCSPCA cruelty investigations department for mid-Vancouver Island and the Powell River regions, said she was in court and heard the plea and sentence. She is still awaiting the official court order from Crown counsel, but said that she heard the judge’s comments.
Heary said her understanding is that Wilcocks’ fine is payable in $100 installments, so he has five months to pay. The five-year prohibition states that during that time, Wilcocks cannot have control or custody of animals.
“I’m waiting to read the court order to see the language that was used in the prohibition,” Heary said. “I certainly was hopeful there would be a lifetime ban. I do know that’s one of the sentencing recommendations that Crown counsel had asked the judge to consider. Based on the level of suffering and degree of neglect on the property, I think that would have been a fitting sentence.”
Heary said, however, the BCSPCA is always pleased when Crown counsel accepts an animal cruelty file. “Less than one per cent of animal cruelty cases actually make it into the court system,” she said. “To actually get a case accepted and approved by Crown is our first win, then to actually have the case go to the next stage where we get a guilty plea or somebody is found guilty, that again is a win, because there is some accountability there. I certainly wish that the sentence had been lengthier.”
Heary said she had forwarded photographs from the investigation to her supervisor prior to Wilcocks being convicted or pleading guilty. “There were a number of details that could not be released to the media prior to the court case, but now the SPCA is able to do so,” Heary said. “We are intending on having that listed on our website so viewers can see the photographs of the conditions as they were.”
The animals that were seized from Wilcocks’ property survived and were adopted. In addition to the living animals, Heary also seized three goat carcasses that were deceased on arrival.
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