A 26-year-old Australian woman has been jailed for one year after throwing her dog off the second-floor roof edge of a parking garage, PEOPLE reports. In addition, she has been banned from keeping any animal for 10 years.
Surveillance camera captured the disturbing incident, which occurred in April 2022. In the distressing CCTV footage, Amy Lea Judge can be seen pacing back and forth from her partner’s parked car to the roof edge while carrying her 10-year-old Maltese-Shih-Tzu Mix named Princess.
Judge appears to be arguing with her partner — who is inside the car — before angrily walking towards the roof edge one more time and callously tossing the helpless pup over.
The New York Post reveals Princess fell nine meters down. A passerby found and rushed the dog to a nearby veterinarian. The good Samaritan initially thought a car had knocked the animal off the garage ledge. According to the vet, Princess sustained a severe brain injury, pelvic and spinal trauma, and internal hemorrhaging from the fall.
Unfortunately, the dog had to be euthanized, owing to the extent of her injuries.
During Judge’s sentencing on Dec. 12, the magistrate stated Judge didn’t seem remorseful of her actions. According to the magistrate, all Judge did was come up with excuses.
Judge’s partner — who undoubtedly witnessed everything, as per the footage — received a $2,500 fine. Furthermore, the court banned him from keeping any animal for three years. That decision was reached because he failed to seek medical care for Princess.
Woman confesses to throwing dog off parking lot roof
After committing the heinous crime, Judge took to Facebook to confess what she did.
In the already-deleted post, Judge starts by saying, “I can’t live with the guilt.” Then, she goes on to make a rather bizarre defense backing her cruel actions. In a statement that sparked outrage from animal lovers, she shared, “I did her a favor because all I did was hurt her and abuse her.”
Judge later took down the post and claimed someone had hacked her account upon interrogation by authorities.
Kylie Green is an Inspector Manager with Western Australia’s largest animal welfare charity, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, better known as RSPCA WA. Green is still trying to come to terms with what Princess went through at the hands of her inhumane owner.
“Dogs can be so trusting, and they rely on their owners to keep them safe,” Green said. “I can’t think of a more disgusting betrayal of that trust.”
Commenting on Judge’s sentencing, Green shared, “Today’s outcome delivers some justice for the pain and terror poor Princess endured in her final hours.”
