Posted: Wednesday, July 9, 2025. 7:14 pm CST.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: Three underage boys, ages 15 and 16, have been sentenced to one year probation and ordered to enroll in various rehabilitation and anger management programs after pleading guilty to animal cruelty in a disturbing case that went viral earlier this year. The incident involved the group inflicting chop wounds on a horse in what the court described as an “unprovoked attack on a helpless animal.”
The sentencing, delivered by the Senior Magistrate in Court #3, also included community service hours for the minors—50, 80, and 120 hours respectively—based on their level of involvement, age, and timing of their guilty pleas.
The 16-year-old, who was seen as the main actor in the attack, must complete 120 hours of service with the Young Men’s Christian Association, attend life skills and cognitive behavioral programs, and report twice weekly to the Community Rehabilitation Department. He was warned that failure to meet the terms of his probation could result in a year at a juvenile facility.
Two 15-year-olds were also given suspended sentences and varying community service hours. One was ordered to participate in self-esteem, anger management, and decision-making programs and summer activities run by the CRD. The other, who initially pleaded not guilty, was ultimately given 50 hours of community service with the Human Services Department and placed in a school monitoring and behavioral program due to prior truancy.
Meanwhile, two 19-year-olds—Tyrique Straughan and Raheem Herbert—were fined $205 each and also ordered to attend anger management and participate in community service. Both were considered adults under the law, and the court noted that while they too claimed to love animals, they acted without thought and caused harm. No mitigating factors were found for the offense itself, though their employment status and ability to pay fines were considered.
The charge of abetment to animal cruelty was formally withdrawn for all five accused. However, the group still faces a pending cattle theft charge, with the court awaiting direction from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions on whether to proceed summarily or by indictment.
During mitigation, character witnesses—including family members, neighbors, and an employer—testified that the young men had grown up caring for horses and were generally respectful and hardworking. Some community members even offered to mentor or employ them.
The April 11 attack was reportedly an act of retaliation, with the 16-year-old claiming a similar incident had previously occurred involving his own horse, to which police allegedly failed to respond.
The group is scheduled to return to court on August 11, 2025, when a decision is expected on the cattle theft charge.
The Senior Magistrate concluded sentencing by reminding the young men, “Trust only those who have as much to lose as you,” and emphasized that animal cruelty is a “very serious offense.”
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The post Teens who chopped up horse with machete sentenced to probation, anger management for cruelty to animal; adults fined appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Wednesday, July 9, 2025. 7:14 pm CST. By Breaking Belize News Staff: Three underage boys, ages 15 and 16, have been sentenced to one year
The post Teens who chopped up horse with machete sentenced to probation, anger management for cruelty to animal; adults fined appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
