Man tries to use ‘stand your ground’ defence against Iguana after allegedly beating animal to death

Reptile was ‘first to engage with physical violence’, says 43-year-old

An iguana in Florida (APA Picturedesk Gmbh/Shutterstock)

A man facing animal cruelty charges for allegedly beating an iguana to death in Florida has been refused a defence of “stand your ground”.

According to an affidavit on Friday, 43-year-old PJ Nilaja Patterson asked for the defence because “the wild iguana was first to engage with physical violence”.

As the Sun Sentinel reported, a judge refused the “stand your ground” defence, which is used when an individual “reasonably believes that using or threatening to use such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm”.

Attorneys for Mr Patterson argued in the affidavit that during the incident, “the vicious animal got the best of Patterson and savagely bit his right arm”, requiring 22 staples and hospital treatment.

It was also alleged that he believed the iguana “could have injected poison” into him. “Thus he rushed to incapacitate the iguana the best way he could.”

Prosecutors accuse the 43-year-old of animal cruelty, following the release of footage of the incident from 2 September last year in Lake Worth, Florida.

It allegedly shows Mr Pattern dragging and kicking an iguana, which he “savagely beat, tormented, tortured, and killed”, according to the affidavit.

Prosecutor Alexandra Dorman wrote that the footage was proof that “at no time was the iguana posing any real threat” to Mr Patterson, the Sun Sentinel reported.

“[He] was not justified in his actions when he kicked this defenceless animal at least 17 times causing its death,” Ms Dorman wrote in the affidavit. “[He] chose to stalk the helpless iguana and deliver vicious strikes to the animal.”

The animal had a lacerated liver, broken pelvis and internal bleeding, described by an official as “terrifying” for the iguana.

In Florida iguanas “can be captured and humanely killed year-round and without a permit or hunting licence”, but are protected by animal cruelty laws, according to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Mr Patterson is due to appear in court to face charges on 30 July, and faces up to five years in prison if found guilty.