Prosecutor wants to ban Limburg couple from keeping pets after animal neglect

The Public Prosecution Service recommended conditionally suspended jail sentences and a ban on keeping animals in the court in Den Bosch against a 62-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man for neglecting their animals. De Landelijke Inspectie Dierenwelzijn (LID), which is the National Animal Welfare Inspectorate, repeatedly found severely emaciated, sick, or injured animals in and around their home in the Limburg village of Maria Hoop earlier this year. This consisted of dozens of dogs, cats, chickens, ponies, and horses. The animals were confiscated.

The prosecution wants a 10-year holding ban that should start straight after the court's verdict. According to the prosecutor, the animals were in bad shape, and many of them were "scared and unsocialized." In addition to the holding ban, the prosecutor also recommended a six-month conditionally suspended jail sentence against both suspects. The male suspect is also facing a 5,000 euro fine.

After the seizure, the Public Prosecution Service determined that the pair were not allowed to keep animals until the hearing, based on a so-called behavioral instruction. The duo had previously had problems with the law for the same reasons. In 2021, the inspection also removed a collection of neglected animals from them. "The LID was a regular visitor to the suspects," said the officer.

The court also gave the woman a restraining order in that instance. She appealed against the decision. Her appeal case was supposed to be heard last week, but that did not happen.

The two suspects did not appear at the hearing on Monday. According to her lawyer, the woman is in bad mental and physical condition. "Her life is miserable at the moment," said the lawyer. The man has deregistered from the Netherlands to Hungary and is staying on a boat on the Danube.

The court will give its verdict on 12 August.