Dog ordered to take the witness stand at trial for owner’s murder

A dog in France was asked to take the witness stand in an attempt to find the identity of it’s owner’s killer.

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by Fiona Day |
Published on

The suspect in the murder case was asked to threaten the dog, a 9-year-old Labrador named Tango, to test how he reacted.

Lawyers wanted to see if the dog recognised the suspect.

The suspect was also asked to threaten a different Labrador named Norman who was brought into the trial to compare the canines’ reactions. T

he suspect’s lawyer tried to have the dog’s evidence ruled as ‘inadmissible.

Speaking to a French radio station, defence lawyer Georges Lafarge said: ‘This kind of experiment sets a dangerous precedent and is quite unfair on my client.’

Tango isn't the first dog to give evidence (stock image)
Tango isn't the first dog to give evidence (stock image)

‘So if Tango lifted his right paw, moved his mouth or his tail, is he recognising my client or not? I find it very troubling for the French legal system.’

‘If a judge ignores the demands of reason and surrounds himself with experts who are unreasonable, the system becomes very dangerous.’

A dog named Scooby became the first canine to ‘give evidence’ in a murder trial 6 years ago.

The dog appeared in court after the prosecuting lawyer convinced the judge to see how the dog would react to seeing the suspect.

According to reports, Scooby ‘barked loudly' at the suspect.

The trial Tango will be appearing in will continue for another week.

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