Kelowna man charged with harming a hamster

The 20-year-old Kelowna man faces several animal cruelty charges

UPDATE: 3:34 p.m.

Court records name Leighton Allen Labute as the man charged with animal cruelty offences.

Labute is facing three counts of killing or injuring an animal and three counts of causing unnecessary pain or suffering to an animal, stemming from a May 1 incident.

The 20-year-old appeared in court on May 25 and remains in custody.

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ORIGINAL:

Kelowna RCMP is investigating a local man for allegations of animal cruelty.

Police said that on May 14, they were notified of a social media account posting disturbing images of what appeared to be animal cruelty towards a hamster.

The Kelowna RCMP General Investigation Section linked the account to a local man after investigation. The 20-year-old man has been arrested and remains in custody.

The full findings will be referred to the B.C. Prosecution Service for review and charge consideration.

Police said the incident remains an active investigation and no further information will be released.

If you know anything about this crime, you are asked to call the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300. If you wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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