The RCMP say they've charged a Heatherton woman with 44 counts of causing unnecessary suffering to animals after several dead goats and malnourished animals were found on her property. (CBC/Radio-Canada - image credit)A 48-year-old woman from the western Newfoundland community of Heatherton is facing dozens of charges of causing unnecessary suffering to animals following a police investigation that began in 2022. In cases that involve animal cruelty, police can charge a person under the Animal Health and Protection Act or the Criminal Code of Canada. The former is meant to deal with cases of animal cruelty outside the criminal court system, while the latter comes with stiffer penalties and a criminal record. In this case, Garland said, the investigators felt the severity of the maltreatment was deserving of a criminal charges — 44 of them in total.
