Horse killing trial adjourns over new evidence

A criminal trial against three men accused of killing a wild horse was adjourned today following the introduction of new evidence.

Jason Nixon, Earl Anderson and Gary Cape are alleged to have shot the feral animal in the Sundre area, 130km northwest of Calgary, some time between May and September 2009.

Lawyers for the men and Crown counsel agreed to adjourn proceedings because the new evidence, in the form of emails, could affect three central witnesses in the trial, Calgary Provincial Court heard on Monday.

Police are investigating the deaths of more than 22 other horses in the same area since 2007.

The charges against the three men are the first to be laid in the investigation. The men are accused of willfully killing the horse and careless use of a firearm.

At the time of the offence, the accused were working at a lodge near Sundre operated by the Mustard Seed Ministry, a Calgary-based charity.

The Alberta government estimates there are about 300 feral horses in the Sundre area. Provincial biologists don't consider them true wildlife because they originated from domestic horses used in logging and mining operations in the early 1900s.