The associations denounced a sentence that was not sufficiently dissuasive. Rapper Timal was sentenced Thursday evening by the Meaux court to pay 6,000 euros for “acts of cruelty to a domestic animal”, two days following broadcasting a video in which he hits his doglearned AFP from the parties’ lawyers.
Ruben Louis – his real name – was sentenced late in the evening to a 120-day fine of 50 euros, for a total of 6,000 euros. If he did not pay this amount, he would face 120 days in prison. He is also sentenced to a ban on keeping animals for five years.
This sentence was previously proposed by the public prosecutor and accepted by the rapper as part of an appearance on prior recognition of guilt (CRPC), a kind of French-style “plead-guilty” which allows certain offenses to be judged more quickly, provided that the respondent acknowledges the facts.
“Acknowledge the facts”
The 25-year-old artist was arrested and placed in police custody on Wednesday in Champs-sur-Marne (Seine-et-Marne) in the Paris suburbs, where he resides. The day before, he posted a video on the social network Snapchat in which he films himself kicking one of his two dogs in the head three times. “Asshole goes”, might we read in legend. The dogs were seized and entrusted to an animal protection association.
“It is a sentence adapted to the situation since Timal has recognized the facts and above all expressed extremely sincere regrets. The video is not at all representative of the way he has always treated his animals, “said Me Elise Arfi, his lawyer, to AFP.
“The gap is widening between an ultra-sensitized public opinion which no longer accepts attacks on animals and the penalties imposed which are well below the maximum penalties”, and “absolutely not dissuasive”, reacted for her part Me Caroline Lanty , lawyer for the 30 million friends Foundation, who had filed a complaint.
Booba reacts
This case echoes that of Kurt Zoumaa French international defender sentenced in June by the British courts to 180 hours of community service for having mistreated his cat, following the broadcast of a video that has gone viral.
Timal gained some notoriety in February with the single Filtered, alongside rapper Gazo. The song now has more than 52 million plays on Spotify, the world’s leading music platform, and almost as many views on YouTube. At the end of August he released, with rap heavyweight Booba, a new single entitled Chameleon.
“You screwed up on this one but you will prove to them that you are not bad”, Booba tweeted Thursday, addressing the young rapper, calling his gesture “unacceptable but not unforgivable”.