Costa del Sol animal killer still free after admin blunder

The disgraced former president of a Costa del Sol animal shelter has not yet been jailed due to an admin blunder.

Carmen Marin, who previously ran Torremolinos’ municipal cat and dog sanctuary, is set to become the first person ever to be jailed for animal cruelty in Spain.

A Malaga judge had ordered her to present herself to police by yesterday (Wednesday), but a paperwork slip-up only saw the order arrive to a Torremolinos court on Tuesday meaning she has not yet been officially notified. She has therefore been granted an extension.

The landmark decision to imprison the ex-shelter boss came three weeks after the Provincial Court upheld a three years and nine months sentence in the wake of an appeal.

Marin was last year found guilty of slaughtering thousands of animals from 2008- 2010, despite preaching a zero sacrifice policy.

In a statement the judge said that Marin injected cats and dogs with euthanasia drugs “without any veterinary control or form of sedation, using inadequate methods and lower doses than recommended, causing prolonged agony.”

This proved lucrative since the shelter received cash from the town council each time it took in a new animal.

Although the majority of the sentence is related to forged documents, it is a historic case since one year of the punishment is for animal cruelty, the first time that someone has been imprisoned for such an offence in Spain. And her sentence could yet be extended as she and her two daughters remain under investigation by a Torremolinos court for suspected fraud, misappropriation and money laundering.

It is alleged that the trio used money from the shelter to fund a lavish lifestyle, including a €104,000 shopping trip, plastic surgery, luxury holidays to several countries, high-end cars and expensive meals.