Dog-smuggling Kuwaiti couple gets jail sentence for airport attack

A Kuwaiti man and woman convicted of assaulting customs officers at Sri Lanka's main international airport were handed a six month jail sentence suspended for five years, an official said on Saturday.

The 32-year-old woman and her 29-year-old male partner, who were also fined 138,000 rupees ($860) were sentenced on Friday.

They were arrested after they turned violent when they were informed that quarantine requirements meant they could not bring their Burmese Mastiff into the country. 

They assaulted five customs officers who tried to stop them fleeing the airport with the animal, police said, in an attack that was caught on CCTV.

All five officers were admitted to hospital for treatment after the assault, local Kuwaiti news reported.

They couple were banned from leaving the country after Sri Lankan courts impounded their passports.

Bringing pets into the island without quarantine clearance can lead to the forfeiture of the animal as well as a fine of up to 100,000 rupees ($625).

Customs spokesman Vipula Minuwanpitiya said the pet dog was confiscated and later given back to the couple to be taken out of the country.

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