The sentencing of a Delta man convicted of causing the death of a Chihuahua he hit with a shoe was delayed Jan. 17, earning defence lawyers a scolding from the judge.
The trial for Randeep Singh Ghataura, 44, charged with causing unnecessary pain and suffering and killing, wounding or maiming an animal began in Vancouver Provincial Court Oct. 7, 2024.
Ghataura pleaded not guilty in connection with a March 25, 2020, event where a woman's pet named Tacori had to be euthanized.
However, Judge Ellen Gordon convicted him of killing, wounding or maiming an animal Oct. 7.
The case was due back before Gordon at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 17.
When neither Ghataura nor defence showed up by 10:20 a.m., Crown prosecutor Jim Cryder went looking for them.
Eventually, someone from defence lawyer Dale Melville’s office appeared via video seeking an adjournment.
And that earned Gordon’s ire.
“I should have been notified of this by Mr. Melville,” Gordon said. “It’s negligent and rude not to inform the court of this.”
Ghataura was dealing with an urgent family matter.
The case was adjourned to Feb. 7.
“I haven’t just adjourned it willy-nilly because this is a case where sentencing needs to proceed,” Gordon said.
What happened?
Prosecutor Cryder told Gordon at trial that Ghataura had been in a relationship with the dog’s owner but that relationship was coming to an end.
Cryder said Ghataura went to the woman’s Vancouver home to drop off some things and found she was not home. However, he went in.
Gordon heard Ghataura later called the woman and said the dog was acting oddly.
She went home. There, she found the nine-pound dog hunched over, sitting in its own waste.
Cryder said the dog’s eyes appeared red so the woman wiped them and blood came off on her fingers.鈥⊿he immediately took the animal to a vet. The doctor told the woman her pet was in significant medical distress. The animal was euthanized.
She later reported the incident to police who decided initially not to report the case to Crown for charges.
Later on, the woman was on a call with Ghataura in which he allegedly said he had hit the dog with a shoe, Cryder said.
She recorded the call on her phone and took it to police.
On March 18, 2022, police decided to send a report to the Crown and charges were sworn Sept. 21, 2022.
With assistance from the Delta Police Department, Ghataura was arrested.鈥–ryder said Ghataura spontaneously told police “he hit the dog.”鈥�
The prosecutor said a vet said the animal had suffered blunt force trauma.鈥�
Cryder said the case relied on the two admissions to the dog’s owner and to police.
