GOWANUS — The judge who will sentence a Gowanus rabbit owner on animal cruelty charges wants the bunny collector to undergo a psychiatric evaluation before he decides her fate, a spokeswoman for the Brooklyn District Attorney's office said.
Judge Curtis Farber ordered the mental health examination Friday for Dorota Trec, who was found guilty of abusing dozens of rabbits in November and continues to collect new bunnies.
“I'm trying very hard to think of an appropriate sentence for your case ... I’m worried there’s serious mental health issues in this case,” Farber told Trec in court, according to the New York Daily News, which first reported the judge’s order.
"I won't impose sentence until I have the results and understand fully whom I am dealing with," Farber said, according to the News.
READ MORE: Police Seize 100 More Gowanus Bunnies After Finding Others Had Syphilis
Gowanus Rabbit Owner Convicted of Animal Cruelty
Trec was due to be sentenced on Jan. 13 on 100 counts of animal cruelty stemming from her treatment of dozens of rabbits in her care. She faces two years in jail for mistreating the animals, many of which were injured or diseased. Some even had syphilis.
Despite her arrest and conviction, Trec continued to take in new rabbits, and authorities recently seized another 45 bunnies from her care.
Trec has insisted that she's not an animal abuser and told the judge on Friday, "I'm not sick. I'm a very intelligent person," according to the News.
