Watch: Animal-rights activist liken fishing to killing children
Watch: Video of an animal-rights activist compare fishing to killing children.
Five-hundred bucks may sound a little steep for a single tilapia, but that's what an animal rights activist has been sentenced to pay after he was found guilty of taking a fisherman’s catch and tossing it back into the lake.
A judge in Florida has sentenced Michael Leaming to pay the $500 – in addition to court costs – following the July 2017 incident, during which Leaming confronted two fishermen at Crescent Lake Park in St. Petersburg, The Tampa Bay Times reported.
FISHERMAN ACCIDENTALLY HOOKS GREAT WHITE, BUT THOUGHT HE HAD A HALIBUT
Leaming had originally been charged with “interference with taking of fish,” but the state switched the charge to petit theft after prosecutors realized that “interference” didn’t apply to city-owned waters.
Even still, Leaming’s attorney Peri Sedigh argued that her client shouldn’t be found guilty of theft, as throwing the fish back “was a rescue.”
Judge Robert Dittmer, however, claimed that the two fishermen — Bob J. Hope and father, Bob Hope Sr. — were fishing legally at the park, and were within their rights to keep their live tilapia on the ground after catching it from the lake. Dittmer handed down the $500 fine, though he earlier estimated the value of the fish at around $6.
In the footage from the incident, which went viral last year, Leaming’s young son Landon can be seen approaching Hope and Hope’s father, asking them to “please stop” because the hooks can hurt the fish's mouths. Leaming, alongside a small group of activists, then approaches and begins to question the men about a freshly caught tilapia flopping on the ground nearby.
“What if this was a dog, and I hooked the dog in the mouth and threw her in the water?” Leaming argues, later adding, “What if this was a human child?”
VIRAL VID SHOWS SQUID SHOOTING INK AT FISHERMAN
Hope's mother Brenda later approaches and steps between the tilapia and the activist, at which point Leaming grabs the fish from underneath her and tosses it back into the lake, daring the Hopes to call the police.
“I just saved a fish’s life!” Leaming yells. “How about that?”
Leaming’s friends then begin chanting, “It’s not food, it’s violence!” at the Hopes and other bystanders.
Michael Leaming (center) confronted the fishermen about their catch, which was lying on the ground nearby. (Bob J. Hope)
Leaming was not arrested at the time. After the footage went viral, however, he was charged with interference, which carried penalties including a fine of up to $500, 60 days in jail and mandatory counseling, The Tampa Bay Times reported last week.
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS
One of the fisherman, Bob J. Hope, had earlier told Fox News he hoped “justice is served” at the trial.
"You don't get to infringe on someone else's rights because of your moral ground. That is what terrorist[s] do," he said.
The activist group, which included Leaming’s wife Kayla, was reportedly in the area following a protest of Chick-fil-A’s Cow Appreciation Day, where members of Direct Action Everywhere turned up to the restaurant covered in fake blood, Huffington Post reported.