Owner arrested after boys killed by python
The owner of a pet shop has been arrested in Canada after two boys were strangled to death by a python in 2013.
Jean-Claude Savoie is to be charged for the deaths of four-year-old Noah Barthe and his six-year-old brother Connor, his lawyer said.
According to CBC, Lawyer Leslie Matchim said: "Quite honestly, I can't say [the arrest] came as a surprise. Certainly for me, the surprise came when the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police), quite some time ago, seemed to be recoiling from their official position with me that no charges would be forthcoming.
"After they sort of recanted that position and announced that in fact the investigation was ongoing, then... I can't say that I'm surprised that we're at the point we're at today."
The Guardian reports that Savoie faces two charges of criminal negligence causing death.
He will appear in court in New Brunswick on 27 April.
The boys were found dead in August 2013 after an African rock python escaped its enclosure at Savoie's apartment where they were staying.
Police said the 45kg snake escaped through a vent and fell into the living room where the boys were sleeping.
Ownership of an African rock python without a permit has been banned in New Brunswick since 1992. The permits are only given to accredited zoos.
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