A Yorkton Provincial Court judge has rescheduled the trial in a two-and-a-half year old animal abuse case.
In December 2013, the SPCA seized 11 horses and numerous dogs they alleged had been abused and neglected, from a property near Willowbrook, approximately 20 kilometres west of Yorkton.
Walter Goba was charged under the Criminal Code of Canada for causing unnecessary suffering and causing damage or injury and also received two charges of causing distress under the provincial Animal Protection Act.
Through various delay tactics, Goba managed to avoid dealing with the charges for months. Meanwhile, in May 2014, he was convicted in Manitoba on similar charges relating to 25 dogs and 18 horses seized in 2010 from another property of his in Swan River. He received a six-month conditional sentence and 10-year ban on owning animals.
In June 2014, he again delayed his Saskatchewan case by firing his Legal Aid representation and applying for a court-appointed lawyer. At a hearing in September 2014, a judge ruled in Goba’s favour, given the Crown’s position on incarceration and the defendant’s age (then 71), his medical issues and the seriousness of the charges.
Eventually, a lawyer was appointed, Goba pleaded not guilty and a trial was set for September of this year.The case was brought forward to last Friday (June 3), however, so the defence could request a new date becasue of a scheduling conflict.
The new trial is set for three days starting November 23.
