Man kills, skins 4 dogs

2012-01-16 10:08

Hilda Fourie, Beeld

Pretoria - A Pretoria North man has been arrested after he allegedly killed four dogs, skinned them and apparently put them in a freezer and in a chest under his bed.

Police raided the garden flat in Pretoria North at 22:00 on Saturday evening. Riaan Bester,23, apparently confessed to killing the dogs and showed police the knives with which he had skinned the dogs.

There was still blood on the knives.

The dog carcasses, which were found under the bed and in the chest, were still frozen.

Two of the dogs belonged to the people from whom he rented the garden flat.

Bester will appear in the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court on Monday on charges of cruelty to animals and malicious damage to property.

Police are investigating whether Bester wanted to eat the dogs or had already eaten parts of the dogs.

According to someone on the scene, Bester told police that he didn’t know why he had done it.

“He was triggered by the dogs and didn't know how to stop,” said the person.

The woman who rented out the garden flat to Bester apparently became suspicious when her dogs went missing. She called the police.

Inspector Diale Ratsela of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), who removed the dog carcasses, said Bester’s parents had told him their son had been admitted for psychological evaluation at Weskoppies hospital two years ago.

- Beeld