Justice for 32 brutally slain Wellsford dogs

On 25 January 2010 Russell Douglas Mendoza and Tony Allen Campbell entered a Port Albert property and shot and killed 10 adult dogs and 22 puppies.

Both men were found guilty today in the Auckland District Court of reckless use of a firearm and four charges each of wilfully ill-treating an animal. The men will be sentenced on 17 July.

The guilty verdicts vindicate the fervour with which SPCA Auckland and the Crown have prosecuted the case, according to Bob Kerridge, Executive Director of SPCA Auckland.

“The precise details of the case have now been thoroughly tested in court. What has been proven beyond doubt is that many of the dogs involved suffered terribly prior to their deaths,” says Mr Kerridge.

“At SPCA Auckland it’s our job to protect animals from unnecessary suffering and distress. What happened in Wellsford on that day wasn’t carefully controlled euthanasia – it was a reckless mass slaughter of a large number of innocent animals.

“Make no mistake, this was a clear breach of the Animal Welfare Act and the Crown firearms expert has reinforced the recklessness with which the offenders acted. The case has sickened everyone involved, but we have had been spurred on by the unprecedented public support to bring these offenders to justice.”

Although the Crown has prosecuted the case in court, SPCA Auckland was immersed in the case from the beginning, attending the scene, gathering evidence, conducting autopsies on the dogs, determining the pain and suffering incurred, and contributing to the Crown case.

“Our inspectors were on the ground in the immediate aftermath of the killings. They witnessed the extent of slaughter and undertook the terrible task of cataloguing and removing the bodies, one by one,” says Mr Kerridge.

“The trauma they experienced was immense. Both inspectors were reduced to tears at the media conference describing what they had witnessed. As an organisation we offer them our heartfelt thanks for their courage and dedication in the face of this horrific incident.

“We hope that these guilty verdicts will serve as a warning to others who inflict pain and suffering on innocent animals that such behaviour will not be condoned and will not go unpunished. As a society we owe it to the animals in our care to ensure this kind of wanton destruction and cruelty is never allowed to happen again.”

SPCA Auckland appeals to everyone who seeks justice for all animals to contribute to supporting our inspectors in the field by donating to our Justice Fund at spca.org.nz/justice.

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