Twenty One Days

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Gail Benoit gets jail time for 2007 assault
Benoit, Bailey each fined $1500 for animal cruelty

by Jeanne Whitehead/Digby Courier

Today, seconds after Judge Jean-Louis Batiot sentenced Gail Benoit to 21 days jail time for her 2007 assault of SPCA special constable Nancy Noel, the female half of the Benoit Bailey puppy broker team began weeping and her knees buckled beneath her.

Her apparent medical crisis triggered a verbal outburst by her common law spouse, Dana Bailey.

“How could you do this to a woman who has had surgery on tumours in her neck?” Bailey yelled at the judge. “How could you do this? She has kids at home.”

Benoit and Bailey were also each fined $1,500 for animal cruelty and instructed to pay restitution of $2478 to the SPCA.

The April 16 sentencing was in response to being found guilty on assault and animal cruelty charges stemming from the 2007 seizure of 10 sick, malnourished puppies from their Roxville property.

The raid by SPCA officers (accompanied by RCMP officers) took place on two October days, a point that was duly noted by Judge Batiot.

The judge was prepared to disregard the fact that Benoit had two prior convictions in the mid 90s for assaulting peace officers. But the fact that she assaulted and obstructed Noel two days after the initial seizure of puppies—at a time when she had already consulted with her lawyer—meant her behavior must be denounced.

Crown attorney Rosalind Michie had also asked the judge to ban Benoit and Bailey from animal ownership, but the law indicates that such a ban can be imposed when the animals that have suffered cruelty or neglect are owned by the abuser.

The Valley Bull puppies that were seized in Octobe 2007 were owned Pat Harlow-Robar who expected Benoit and Bailey to sell the pups on her behalf.

Now THIS is why the laws need to be tightened up..... if the SPCA had been able to lay charges against the "legal owner' she might not have been quite so quick to play the patsy.

But it is a bright sign that at least the prosecutor did ask for a ban on animal ownership, even if the Benoits slid through a loophole on that

If twenty one days seems like too much to the Benoit's ..... I expect it looks like a drop in the bucket to all the victims of their greed.

What else does 21 days say? At the end of the day it recognizes that when the SPCA constables are engaged in investigations and seizures that they are acting in the name in the law.

The signs of a pending election are almost as plentiful as the potholes. When the candidate rosters come up, make sure that your candidates know that you are an animal lover and your vote will go to the party prepared to fix the leaky legislative boat for the animals instead of just bailing it out with teaspoons and cups.