Prosecutors seek prison time for men accused of shooting BBs at dogs in Geoje, killing two

Prosecutors sought two-year prison sentences Friday for two men accused of firing thousands of BBs at dogs tied up in a restaurant yard in Geoje, South Gyeongsang, an attack that lasted 37 minutes and left two of the three dogs dead.

They were indicted on charges including special trespassing, special property damage and possession of a fake firearm on suspicion of breaking into the yard of a restaurant on June 8 last year and firing indiscriminately at the dogs there using an illegally modified handgun.

Prosecutors also asked for an 18-month sentence for a third man, an accomplice in the case.

Two of the men were active-duty service members at the time of the crime. The legal division of the Korean Navy, which investigated the case, said the men filmed videos of the dogs suffering, saying they did so "to boast about or show off the abuse to others, or to keep as a memento to relive the pleasure they felt while committing the crime."

A 7-year-old dog was taken to the hospital covered in bruises, but died shortly after. Prosecutors excluded the dog's death from the formal charges, however, since a direct causal link between the death and the attack could not be clearly established.

Another dog suffered injuries across its body and ultimately had to have one eye removed.

The last dog had been suffering from nerve damage and a fractured tooth, and was later found to have shown abnormal symptoms including circling behavior and seizures, before dying in May, it was belatedly reported.

All three defendants admitted to the charges in Friday's trial. Prosecutors explained their sentencing request by saying the men had planned the abuse in advance, causing serious harm, and that there were signs during the investigation that the co-defendants had coordinated their statements to minimize culpability.

"This case goes beyond simple animal abuse — it was a brutal act of violence in which a group fired guns indiscriminately at living creatures," the animal rights group Beagle Rescue Network told the press the same day. "Because cruelty toward animals can threaten the safety of society as a whole, the court must set a strict standard by handing down the maximum possible punishment."

The ruling is scheduled for Aug. 18.

BY KO SEUNG-PYO [[email protected]]