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Lucerne
Cantonal court finds showjumper Paul Estermann guilty of cruelty to animals
The jumper Paul Estermann has been sentenced to a conditional fine by the cantonal court of Lucerne for cruelty to animals on the horse “Castlefield Eclipse”. In two other cases he was acquitted.
Swiss jumper Paul Estermann (left), here with his lawyer on his way to cantonal court.
The Lucerne Cantonal Court has mostly upheld the judgment of the Willisau District Court against the jumper Paul Estermann. There is talk of the defendant guilty of multiple intentional animal cruelty, as the cantonal court announced on Wednesday morning.
The 57-year-old man is sentenced to a fine of 105 daily rates of 160 francs each, conditionally enforceable with a two-year probationary period. The indictment accuses the former member of the Swiss jumping squad of repeatedly mistreating the horses with the whip at his riding center in Hildisrieden. He was specifically charged with having excessively struck the horse “Castlefield Eclipse” on the flanks and lower abdomen on April 28, 2016. The animal is said to have suffered swelling and bleeding as a result.
Convicted of three incidents, two not charged with him
Paul Estermann has been convicted of this crime and for an incident that had occurred a week earlier, as well as for an attack on the castrated “Lord Pepsi” in autumn 2015. However, the cantonal court acquitted him in connection with two other incidents against “Lord Pepsi” which is said to have occurred between 2014 and 2017.
The Willisau District Court found the defendant guilty of multiple animal cruelty in a sentence of November 20, 2019 and punished him with a conditional fine of 100 daily rates of 160 francs each and a fine of 4,000 francs. The accused appealed against this sentence.
The appeal hearing in the cantonal court took place on December 15. The panel of judges increased the sentence from 100 to 105 daily rates. On the other hand, there is no fine of 4,000 francs. In addition, the defendant must bear 80 percent of the costs of the appeal process.
The judgment of the cantonal court was made available to the parties in writing and on device. Therefore, it is not final. The cantonal court will justify the sentence in writing at a later date.
