Accused asks to change guilty plea on animal abuse charge

Two years of legal wrangling in an Alberta animal abuse case will continue until the fall.

Daniel Haskett, 20, had been scheduled to be sentenced Friday on one count of animal cruelty in provincial court in Didsbury, about 80 kilometres north of Calgary, after admitting to dragging the family dog behind a car. Instead, he told a judge he wanted to change his guilty plea.

His family's dog, Daisy Duke, was found so severely injured in October 2006 that a veterinarian had to euthanize her.

The dog's muzzle and all four legs had been duct taped, and a tow rope tied around her neck. She was likely dragged behind a vehicle for three blocks, Didsbury RCMP said.

Another young man, 17, has already been sentenced to house arrest in the case. In his case, the court was told he had accidentally backed over Daisy Duke, which led to what his lawyer called a "poorly thought-out euthanasia attempt."

Haskett told the court on Friday he wanted to change his plea to not guilty because he had lied when he agreed to the facts of the case so the matter would be concluded and people would stop harassing him.

At a court appearance in November 2006, angry protesters surrounded Haskett as he got into a minivan, and then kicked and pounded the vehicle before it could drive away.

On Friday, protesters again stood outside the courthouse, this time,clutching daisies in their hands as a tribute to Daisy Duke.

As the RCMP escorted Haskett and his family, he turned and lunged at a protester who was yelling obscenities at him and his mother.

The case is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 21 when a judge is expected to rule on Haskett's request to change his plea.