Mowing death of fawns: three acquittals, one fine

A fawn lies in a meadow in the early morning. © Patrick Pleul/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB

In the trial of fawns killed during mowing, three men were acquitted on Tuesday in Weinheim of the accusation of crude animal abuse. A fourth man, one of the tenants of the meadows, was sentenced to a fine of 70 daily rates of 50 euros each before the district court. There was no evidence that one of the defendants had subsequently killed the three fawns seriously injured by the mowers.

Weinheim - Neither had witnesses observed this during the events in June 2021 on meadows in Laudenbach (Rhein-Neckar-Kreis), nor had the carcasses of the dead animals been examined. According to the court, the convicted man had not passed on information according to which fawns were in the meadow.

The men had been accused, among other things, of having mowed the meadows or having caused them to do so, although fawn rescuers had previously searched the meadows and pointed out fawns in them.

The public prosecutor's office had also previously demanded acquittals for three of the defendants and a fine of 180 daily rates of 50 euros each for the now convicted tenant. The lawyers of the four men in the dock pleaded for acquittal for their clients.

All four had previously been fined. The men did not accept this and appealed. Dpa