Canadian Cat-Torturers Escape Jail, Activists Fume

Reuters/Yahoo ^ | Fri Apr 19, 2:11 PM ET | By Natalie Jikerjian

[Terriergal]

Canadian Cat-Torturers Escape Jail, Activists Fume
Fri Apr 19, 2:11 PM ET

By Natalie Jikerjian

TORONTO (Reuters) - Two Canadians who skinned a cat alive, and video-taped their venture claiming it was a performance art project, were sentenced to jail on Thursday, but one will serve his sentence at weekends, while the second walked free because of time served during the trial.

In comments and sentences that infuriated animal rights activists, Ontario Court Judge Ted Ormston ignored the prosecution's plea to jail the two for the maximum of 2-1/2 years.

The crime was "not the worst offense possible," he said. "There are worse ways that this cat could have died."

Jesse Power, 22, and Anthony Wennekers, 25, both from Toronto, had pleaded guilty to charges including cruelty to animals.

They filmed the cat as they tempted it with a mouse, then skinned and decapitated and disemboweled it, and left its body dangling from a coat hanger.

The 10-minute video, shown twice during the court proceedings, sickened spectators as they listened to the cat's increasingly weak and plaintive meows.

"This cat absolutely suffered and the videotape of its torture and ultimate death was one of the most upsetting things I've seen," said Amy White, director of communications for the Toronto Humane Society.

"I am extremely upset that the punishment for Jesse Power and Anthony Wennekers does not equal the severity of this horrific crime."

Power, a vegetarian and a student at the Ontario College of Art and Design, had said the video was an artistic statement about the suffering of animals used for meat, according to newspaper reports.

Judge Ormston sentenced Power to 90 days in jail, to be served over 16 weekends, followed by an 18-month conditional sentence. Wennekers was given time served because he had remained in jail since his arrest last May.

The two men also received three years probation each.

Police have not yet found a third person who appeared in the video, identified only as Matt. Flyers circulated in Toronto and at the courthouse urged the public to help find him and bring him to justice.

Canada's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was incensed at Thursday's sentences.

"Killing any animal in the name of art is deplorable and unacceptable," said the society's chairwoman, Vicky Earle. "There is no excuse for such cruel and criminal acts. Individuals such as these should never be allowed to possess or have contact with animals again."

[Son of Rooster]

Re: Your #81....I didn't have too. TG had all of your insane rantings bookmarked.

SOR, the other white meat

[Free Trapper]

I believe your name came up in post #81.This is a pretty strange article and thread.Thought you'd maybe like to see it.

[Sungirl]

WOw...Teriergal and you guys must really like me! I am flattered that I made such an impression on you guys.....you spent alot of time gathering that stuff...but...where does it say that I say ALL Hunters kill Endangered animals and are drunks? I see some posts where I actually say that 'you completely misundertood what I say'....why are you posting that...a mistake??

WHat you have said, Abundy, was that I accused "all" hunters of being drunks and killing endangered species and and thrill killing.....AND as I read what I say....I was saying that many hunters drink while on their week long hunting trips ( I know this for a fact), or they will kill a innocent bystanding animal (even many of you have admitted to doing that and much more)...OR kill cats/dogs(As a few of you even admitted to doing ..just because "cats/dogs should not be loose" some said and 'kill them when entering their property' or in one case someone said.. they 'kill them when they see cats in the wooded areas' adn one guy praised his mother for smashing kittens to death with a shovel in front of them when they were kids) OR shooting more than the quota (as I personally seen growing up)..OR shooting endangered animals..OR just kill what they eat. THat was what I was pointing out...it is either/and/or/nothing. NOT ALL.

And I see you missed the posts where I say I am friends with people who hunt and how I like others who hunt, even though I do not like that one personality trait of killing an animal....and that we all have traits that others do not like....and how I respect GWB (and he hunts..but as I said..he is one of those hunters that would not drink, kill extra, kill endangered,etc...he is one who only kills what he eats)...I see you avoided all those....but that is to be expected. Omission is a form of lying you know.

One more thing...as I stated before...I know that I've had enough of this hunting talk for awhile...I would appreciate it if you would stop following me to every animal thread trying to slander me to others and start this up again....over and over....it's a form of stalking. If I see a hunter thread, I'll pop in and say hi. SO if you feel the urge...just ruin my threads... Otherwise....please stop tailing and attacking me where it disrupts other peoples threads and eventually ruins them...it's not very respectful.

I sent FR $25 bucks last week because we wasted alot of space and I asked if you guys would send in some too...but none of you answered me! I felt like we should pay extra because of it. Did anyone else donate???

[Sungirl]

We follow you? I started because you turned a gun control thread into an anti hunting thread.

Oh...terriergal...you're kind of a newbee...this started way before you entered the picture.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Don't flatter yourself. You are one of the Resident Nuts on FR and we all need a good laugh.

[Crowcreek]

Remove my name from your ping list.

[ctdonath2]

WOw...Teriergal and you guys must really like me!

No, I don't. The only reason I'm posting this is because YOU added me in a To: list in a thread which I was not even aware of, much less interested in.

I am flattered that I made such an impression on you guys

It's not flattery, trust me. More like morbid curiosity, wondering how someone could be so persistently rude.

where does it say that I say ALL Hunters kill Endangered animals and are drunks?

Oh, we don't contend that you blamed ALL for ALL horrible acts. What is remarkable is how you blame ALL for SOME horrible acts. You went far out of your way to insult me in a remarkable variety of ways, flatly disbelieving me when I insisted I never did such vicious things.

There is no question you are a bigoted person, quick to attribute a variety of awful descriptions to people whom you have absolutely no reason to think those things of.

WHat you have said, Abundy, was that I accused "all" hunters of being drunks and killing endangered species and and thrill killing

Petty semantics. For you to protest so vehimently about the use of the word "all" is in fact an acknowledgement of your atrocious behavior in rudly accusing "most". BTW: what you have so prolifically written made it clear you meant "all", even if the word was not used.

And I see you missed the posts where I say I am friends with people who hunt and how I like others who hunt,

Missing those posts is understandable, considering how voluminous your bigoted anti-hunting comments have been. Go back and examine your own posts, noting the ratio. You are very quick to rudely insult hunters who you have not physically met.

I know that I've had enough of this hunting talk for awhile

You're the one who has been so vigorously continuing it through a vast number of rude posts. Don't blame others; you've done an amazing job keeping this argument going across multiple threads and pissing off an amazing number of rather nice people.

I would appreciate it if you would stop following me to every animal thread trying to slander me to others and start this up again

YOU dragged me into this thread, missy. Cut the slander before I hit the "abuse" button again.

BTW: you're the only person I've ever hit "abuse" for.

I asked if you guys would send in some too...but none of you answered me!

I'm not in the habit of discussing my finances with self-righteous slanderous jerks, particularly when the question was asked specifically in the hope the answer could lead to even more insults.

Get lost, creep. You give vegans a bad name.

[Gianni]

You, my little animal-loving friend, are hillarious.

Ever since the day I bad-mouthed hunters, I've been the target of a vast, right-wing conspiracy.

[Ben Bolt]

Ah , thanks for the ping . You know you and I have not even come close to seeing eye to eye so I still wonder what you expect of me here . looks like your being covered with polyeurethane again .

[Ben Bolt]

OUCH .... Dont hit the abuse button , please . We need a readily available record for the general populace -) , And if I may say , your very articulate .

[Ben Bolt]

Your a dish . If you ever have a ping list to counter this West Palm Beach hanging dimpled chad lover ping me . I'll be there with a song in my heart !

[Abundy]

I don't like you right now, based on your beliefs and conduct on these threads. If you spent a week or so hunting with me I might see something in you that doesn't come through in your posts and you might break through the HSUS and PETA brainwashing to come to understand real hunters and what hunting is all about. I don't follow you, either. I've got better things to do with my time.

But every time I see a thread about some idiot animal rights numbnuts that I can compare to you, I'm going to ping you - because on FR we don't talk about people behind their backs.

I also noticed something - you state that hunters "drink" while on their week-long hunting trips. Are you some sort of prohibitionist? If I come in from the woods at night and have a fine, single-malt scotch, is there something wrong with me? Is having a drink after a long day in the woods bad? Sheeeshh. (and no, I don't mix alcohol and firearms. I don't take a drink until the rifle is unloaded and in a rack)

BTW - You didn't re-read your posts close enough. You say "I was saying that many hunters..." in an attempt to portray your posts in a different light and make yourself appear reasonable. However, you don't use ANY limiting words - specifically "many." You attribute all those negative acitivities to "hunters." Since you obviously have a problem with attention to detail, I'll re-post two of your rantings...see if you can find any limiting words...

That was already adressed in the thread. I dont' understand what using animal products has to do with hunters? Hunters are just macho men who have this horribble character flaw that leads them to kill defenseless animals. (PLease see #70 and #72 as you qualify) They do not do it to help the medical community or necessary clothing. They break the law or kill innocent animals for thrill...it's been admitted in here already.

To: Gun142

I made all my points...hunters thrill kill (kill another animal out of boredom or for the hell of it)...teach and don't care if there kids thrill kill.....kill endangered species.....drink while shooting.......lie about quotas caught......trespass.....have this uncontrolled urge to kill.....feel guilty sometimes when they kill...and can't argue without support. If I think of anything else I'll let you know. You also lack character for posting Private emails...but I would not expect anything less from this group.

424 posted on 3/27/02 6:23 PM Eastern by Sungirl
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 421 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

Well I'll be a suck-egg mule!...I don't see the word "many" anywhere. In fact, I don't see any limiting words at all - you are attributing all those activities to all hunters. Deliberately ignoring a point made to you is a liberal Democratic tatic...better move out of Palm Beach, the water is killing your brain.

[HiTech RedNeck]

These people are nuts and it has never been about animals, its about power and control.

BINGO.

"The poor animals" are but pawns in their game.

[Terriergal]

lol! Thanks. ;-) That's sweet.

[Terriergal]

I didn't know about that.

I suppose if you keep playing "how not to be seen" a la Monthy Python it's bound to happen.

[Terriergal]

I say ALL Hunters kill Endangered animals and are drunks?

Dont' be stupid. You said "HUNTERS" period. You didn't say "some hunters" therefore the implication is that all hunters do it. You know you have more in common with Bill Clinton and his "it matters what the definition of is is" every day.

[Terriergal]

And I see you missed the posts where I say I am friends with people who hunt and how I like others who hunt, even though I do not like that one personality trait of killing an animals

It's very hard to reconcile that with your attitude and with the "I am NOT fond of hunters" statement on your page. Most of the people I am friends with, I *am* fond of, even if I am not fond of some of their activities or beliefs. But you on the other hand make blanket statements like that.

[Terriergal]

OR kill cats/dogs

You did realize that shooting a dog that is running deer in the winter, is perfectly legal, no questions asked? There are plenty of other instances where I think it is warranted to shoot strays, and is in fact, responsible behavior when animal control won't do anything about them.

[Terriergal]

One more thing...as I stated before...I know that I've had enough of this hunting talk for awhile...I would appreciate it if you would stop following me to every animal thread trying to slander me to others and start this up again....over and over....it's a form of stalking.

My my if we aren't projecting yet again.

Who started this thread? hmmm.... I can't speak for anyone else but I am getting the idea that Sungirl is the one who is following *us.* Or at least, me.... possibly she's a little obsessed about the squirrels I have dispatched in our yard.

[Terriergal]

I know that I've had enough of this hunting talk for awhile

You're the one who has been so vigorously continuing it through a vast number of rude posts.

Thanks cdonath2. I never ping Sungirl. I'd rather have a coherent rational discussion.