Man pleads guilty to animal cruelty

An Ontario man has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty in connection with an alleged dogfighting ring that was raided by authorities nearly two years ago, the province’s animal welfare agency said Friday.

Robert Tomlin, 33, pleaded guilty Thursday in a Chatham court to one criminal count of causing pain to dogs as part of his role in the alleged operation, according to the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

He was sentenced to four months house arrest, 24 months probation and a lifetime ban on owning animals, plus a $200 victim fine surcharge.

The OSPCA called the development in the case a victory.

“We feel that animal cruelty is taken very seriously in Ontario and that dogfighting is a serious crime and we’re pleased to see the courts recognize this,” said Jennifer Bluhm, deputy chief of the OSPCA.

Tomlin’s lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.

Details of the case heard in court are under a publication ban as Tomlin’s co-accused await trial.

A judge ordered John Jacob Robert and Michel Conrad Gagnon to stand trial after a one-day preliminary hearing last week, according to the pair’s lawyer, Kenneth Marley. The two are accused of running the alleged dogfighting ring out of their Tilbury, Ont, home. They face scores of animal cruelty-, weapons- and drug-related charges.

Also on Thursday, the Crown withdrew related provincial offences charges against all three and one of the accused’s wife, for owning and breeding pit bulls, which is illegal in Ontario, Bluhm said.

The case has been underway since October 2015, when Chatham-Kent police and OSPCA investigators raided a sprawling compound and seized 31 dogs — all pit bulls.

Three of those dogs were euthanized for medical reasons and the remaining 28 underwent a behavioural evaluation by the American SPCA, which said 21 of those dogs were deemed a menace to society and could not be rehabilitated.

The OSPCA, however, had to apply to court to have the dogs destroyed for behavioural reasons, which led to a public outcry, including harsh words from hockey commentator and animal lover Don Cherry.

Animal organizations lined up to legally intervene in the OSPCA’s application.

One of the organizations, Dog Tales launched a publicity campaign, called #savethe21, which featured celebrity endorsements from Richard Branson, Enrique Iglesias and Paris Hilton, pleading for the dogs to be saved.

After much negotiation, a deal was struck to save 18 dogs.