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Audio from a high-quality video system, which was essential to the conviction of Giroux, recorded him molesting an 11-year-old Belgian milinois named Xaskaa.
A graphic segment of the abuse was played in court, where Xaskaa’s cries of pain reverberated in the courtroom. Giroux said nothing while abusing the defenseless animal.
Giroux’s excruciating attack caused significant bruising on the dog’s abdomen, elbows, internal organs and genitals
The court was told that a neighbor overheard the animal in distress and described the noises as “awful, really loud, not like a normal dog cry”.
Giroux casually opened the door and said the dog was fine.
He then took the dog to his mother on Christmas Eve, who told her to take the dog to the emergency room immediately because Xaskaa was short of breath and could not get up.
In addition to the abuse itself, Giroux’s post-crime behavior was deplorable.
Giroux took the dog to an emergency medical clinic in Nanaimo, where the animal was in critical condition, unresponsive and in tremendous pain.
The perpetrator introduced himself as extremely excited, struggled to concentrate, and raised concerns about scheduled tests by the animal care staff to gain more insight into the dog’s injuries.
A veterinarian estimated that if she had been brought in minutes later, the badly wounded Xaskaa would have died.
Giroux told a doctor at the veterinary clinic that he didn’t know the dog was injured and that he suddenly collapsed.
Giroux’s mental health was a focus for his attorney to rationalize why his client attacked the way he did.
Defense attorney Chris Churchill said there were intricate reasons for Giroux’s behavior that related to underlying mental health issues and general self-dissatisfaction.
“He admits that the harm comes with negative mood, pejorative thoughts about yourself, and hopeless thoughts about the future.”
Giroux said he was: “Not being myself, being unhappy, losing it, thinking I deserved to be hurt or something … If I am who I am now, I would have it never done. “
He said he suffered from psychosis and was out of control over his thoughts and actions.
One report said Giroux abused the dog to cause pain, rather than for sexual purposes. He admitted to entering the animal digitally.
One psychiatrist found that Giroux poses a moderate to high risk of familial and intimate violence and a low to moderate risk of further harm to animals or physical abuse or neglect of children.
The statements made by dog owners on the impact of the victims showed the deep emotional toll the ordeal had on them, including a devastated 2019 Christmas festival.
The abuse had a profound impact on the owners of Xaskaa, Jayson, and Milagros Henkel. Your South America vacation was over.
They heard of Xaskaa’s dire health on Christmas Eve.
The couple blew up social media after hearing Giroux what happened to their pet to raise awareness. The couple spoke at length with NanaimoNewsNOW about their desire for stricter animal abuse laws in Canada.
He paid the victims back $ 10,193 in compensation, which represented their vet bill and the $ 500 he was owed for housekeeping.
Giroux was also given a three-year suspended sentence and banned pets, other than his parents’ cats, for 25 years.
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