Brian Whitlock

Brian Whitlock (b. 1987) plead guilty to animal cruelty on April 9, 2013, at the Provincial Court of British Columbia.

Whitlock admitted in Court that he beat his two-year old German Shepherd, named "Captain" with a baseball bat and placed it in a dumpster to die in Kitsilano, Vancouver, British Columbia.

Injuries to Captain
Captain was found in a dumpster wrapped in a blood soaked blanket, emamiciated, stabbed, cut, poisoned and beaten. Captain died a short time later from the injuries inflicted by Whitlock, despite the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA's) attempts to save his life.

Mental state
Two psychiatric assessments for Whitlock were provided to the Court with different results. One assessment concluded that Whitlock had no indication of a mental disorder, while the second assessment concluded Whitlock had paranoid schizophrenia.

Animal rights protesters
The BC SPCA position is that Whitlock should never be allowed to own a pet again. Marcie Moriarity stated: “I think he should never be able to be around animals again,” she said. “I would like to see jail time for the type of violence he inflicted – but I’m not hopeful.”

Two groups of the animal rights movement held a rally against Whitlock. More than 130,000 people have signed a petition requesting the Crown attorney to increase the sentencing of animal abusers.

Sentencing
Whitlock will return to Court on June 12, 2013, for sentencing. The Crown attorney is recommending Whitlock receive a four to six month prison sentence. The defence lawyers are recommending a non-custodial sentence and three years probation. The maximum sentence available is five years in jail and a lifetime ban on owning animals.

Other charges
Whitlock has other unrelated legal problems and is currently facing charges for assault.