Charges are withdrawn against the ‘dog whisperer’
CHARGES have been withdrawn against local self-proclaimed “dog whisperer” James Lech, who had made several court appearances in connection with a dog attack on a toddler in Clifton.
Last week Lech was back in a dark courtroom in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court where the fluorescent lights needed to be turned off to accommodate Lech, who suffers from “electromagnetic field intolerance syndrome”.
Lech had been facing a charge of keeping “dogs without a leash in a public place not designated by the council to be a free-running area” after his dog allegedly attacked a two-year-old girl near Clifton’s second beach in January 2012. He was arrested shortly thereafter.
At the time of the incident he had reportedly been fined R1 500 for contravening the regulations governing the walking of dogs on beaches.
Lech, also considered as the “dog shaman” was known for running a dog weight-loss and rehabilitation clinic and was referred to as a “a gifted and well-renowned dog behav- ioural specialist”.
At his initial appearances Lech had been escorted to court in a wheelchair. There had also been arguments in court regarding Lech’s request for video conferencing, rather than to have him appear in court. The matter was then sent to be reviewed. On a previous occasion the court had ordered that Lech be admitted to Valkenberg hospital for observation.
On Friday Lech was assisted into the courtroom when his name was called and the public gallery cleared to avoid any risk to him.
The Cape Argus learnt later that charges were withdrawn based on a decision by the Directorate of Public Prosecutions office.
The decision was made following the submission of a psychiatric report and due to Lech’s condition. It had previously been reported that court documents showed that people who suffered from electromagnetic field syndrome “were sensitive to their environments and suffered psychological symptoms when coming into contact with magnetic fields such as cellphones”.
It has been debated in medical circles whether or not it’s a genuine medical condition.
Lech first made headlines after a fouryear-old was mauled by a Rottweiler inside a shopping centre in Joburg in 2011.