Two men fined for mistreatment of animals at Xghajra farm

Two men were yesterday fined €3,000 and €1,500 in a shocking case of animal cruelty that had been revealed by The Malta Independent in 2014.

The Animal Welfare Directorate had called in the police after it found several animals in miserable conditions during an inspection at a farm in Xghajra.

There, officers had found five horses that were being held in dirty, dark and unventilated makeshift stables that were also doubling up as a wood cutting workshop.

One of the horses had severe burns to its legs, tail and belly. The horse’s wounds had been left to fester for a week. The Malta Independent had reported how, instead of calling a vet, the owner had tried to cure the horse himself.

Officers had also found three dogs and ten chickens on the property. One of the dogs had lesions on its back while the other was covered in flies and was very weak. Two of the dogs had had their tails docked and none of them had been microchipped.

The chickens were being held in inadequate cages.

Officers visited the farm again a week later and found that there had been little improvement.

The owner of the farm, Stephen Garzia, said the animals were all his, except for the burned horse, which belonged to Matthew Vella.

Both men were later charged with mistreatment of animals. Vella was also charged with recidivism.

When questioned, Vella insisted that the horse had not been burned but had suffered an injury during a race.

But the court, presided over by Magistrate Doreen Clarke, said it would rather believe the version given by the inspecting vet.

While the court could not establish the true story behind the burn injuries, it noted that the men had failed to call in a vet and that they had continued to deny the obvious.

The court said this convinced it that it was the accused who had caused the injuries to the horse and that they knew that these injuries would cause it pain and suffering “which was prolonged by the fact that the horse was not given professional care even after the first inspection.”

The court found that the animals were being held in an inadequate, dirty and dangerous environment.

Garzia was fined €3000 while Vella was fined €1,500.

Police Inspector Christabelle Chetcuti prosecuted.