Shepherd sentenced to two and a half years in prison after his dogs killed a young woman in Spain's Zamora

Crime

The judge rules that Pedro Gago crossed 'the threshold of gross negligence' following a fatal pack attack in Spain, citing an evident lack of control and care of the animals

Álvaro Muñoz

Valladolid

The legal foundations of the ruling are absolute. "There was an evident lack of custody, control, and care regarding the dogs, which were kept in ... conditions capable of causing harm to people or property. This is regardless of whether they were domestic or not, as their ferocity and harmful nature is a proven fact," states the judgment issued by the Criminal Court of Zamora in western Spain.

The court has sentenced shepherd Pedro Gago to two and a half years in prison after his dogs - which were guarding an agricultural property between the towns of Roales del Pan and La Hiniesta - launched a fatal attack on 27-year-old Arancha Corcero in October 2023.

Due to this "evident lack of custody", the magistrate has also ordered the defendant to pay €250,000 in civil liability compensation. The final sentence took into account a mitigating factor of undue procedural delays, as the case remained completely inactive between October 2024 and February of this year. Had it not been for this pause, the judge noted that the penalty would have approached the four-year maximum sentence permitted for a conviction of manslaughter by gross negligence. This maximum term had been explicitly requested by the victim's parents, represented by their lawyer, Miguel Ángel Anero.

The magistrate adopted many of the core arguments put forward by the private prosecution. The ruling places heavy emphasis on the fact that the shepherd had a strict legal obligation to keep the animals under "secure conditions to prevent danger or risk," particularly because at least four of the five adult dogs (there were also two puppies on the property) were left roaming completely free.

The victim's final phone call

The judge highlighted the "brazenness" shown by the accused during the trial, during which he openly stated that "he left the dogs loose so they could protect the sheep inside the farm". The ruling also focused deeply on the devastating testimony given by Arancha’s mother, who was the last person to speak to her before the "brutal attack".

According to court records, the victim called her mother just before the incident, warning her to wait before leaving the house because she could see the loose dogs from a distance. Immediately afterwards, the mother received a second call. She heard her daughter scream: "Mum, the dogs! Mum, the dogs! But no one is going to help me..."

The mother never heard her daughter's voice again. She rushed to the area by car, initially seeing only the loose dogs and assuming her daughter had found a place to hide. It was only when she spotted a pile of torn clothing on the ground that she realised what had happened. She immediately called her husband, who ran to the defendant's farm and managed to ward off the dogs using a stick, before discovering his daughter's lifeless body.

A failure to comply with dangerous dog regulations

Following the emotional testimony of the parents, the sentence details the legal regulations governing dangerous animals. Multiple sections of the ruling demonstrate that Pedro Gago Rodríguez completely failed to comply with these laws, and additionally noted that he failed to have the mandatory insurance for the animals.

"The fact that these dogs belong to a potentially dangerous breed elevates the standard of diligence required of the accused as an animal owner, demanding a level of care far superior to that of an average citizen," the judge ruled.

Consequently, the court defined the defendant's gross negligence as "the most intolerable omission of care, through active or passive conduct, leading to a harmful result." The sentence further notes that the accused had even been explicitly warned by his own brother, who admitted during the trial that he had told the shepherd "something like this could happen."

The ruling heavily criticises the shepherd's prolonged inaction, stating: "Despite the evident aggressiveness that characterised these dogs, Pedro Gago made no effort over a period of years to prevent a fatal outcome like the one that occurred." The court concluded that his behaviour far exceeded "the threshold of gross negligence."

The defendant previously served 20 days in pre-trial detention, which will be deducted from his two-and-a-half-year prison sentence. All parties involved retain the right to lodge an appeal against the ruling before the Provincial Court of Zamora.