Accused Alberta dog hoarder says she's had death threats in custody

A woman facing multiple animal cruelty charges has asked to be moved to solitary confinement for her own safety.

April Dawn Irving, 59, says she's received death threats while in custody at the Lethbridge Correctional Centre. She appeared via video link in provincial court Tuesday to ask Justice G.S. Maxwell for the extra protection.

Irving faces 13 counts of cruelty to animals, one count of causing suffering to animals and failure to appear in court. She was arrested in Manitoba in January and returned to Alberta to face outstanding charges related to 2014 allegations in Milk River, Alta.

Five dogs were found dead on a Milk River property, along with more than 200 neglected animals. Irving failed to show up to court in 2016 and was believed to be living in Jamaica before reappearing in Canada last month.

Irving also asked the judge to see an orthopedic surgeon or doctor related to a knee issue. She said she was in a car accident in Jamaica a year ago.

Justice Maxwell told her legal aid lawyer, Bjoern Wolkmann, there was nothing he could do about her two concerns.

The judge did, however, enter them into the record.

Irving then asked if she could know the judge's name. Maxwell replied, "No, you may not."

Wolkmann asked the matter be adjourned until Feb. 11. Irving will remain in custody until then.

Irving has a history of animal cruelty. In 2010, she had more than 80 dogs seized from her property near Foam Lake, Sask., which resulted in a 10-year ban on owning more than two dogs at a time in the province.

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