A St. Catharines vet has been charged with 16 counts of animal cruelty including right indictable counts of causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal, and eight indictable counts of failing to provide suitable and adequate care for an animal.
The alleged abuse occurred in 2013. A criminal investigation by the Ontario SPCA and the Lincoln County Humane Society was launched in 2016, after receiving reports of animal cruelty.
The original complaint regarding Rekhi's rough behaviour towards animals in his care was submitted by former Skyway Animal Hospital vet technicians. At this time, the veterinarian was the subject of an investigation by the College of Veterinarians of Ontario in 2016. The investigation included videos from the surveillance system which showed Rekhi hitting and choking dogs. He had his licence suspended for ten months, only to have his suspension reduced to six months after he attended retraining sessions.
He is scheduled to appear in court on July 14th.
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