Animal torturer Nicolino Camardi's friends say he was caught with their pets

A favour for friends that's whatconvicted animal torturer Nicolino Camardi was doing when he was caught with his neighbours'cats and dog in his home,according to VernMcCartyand MichellePelletierwho say they are racked with guilt over the incident.

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"I feel sick to my stomach, I feel really bad," said Pelletier,who lives with McCarty across the street from the accused.

However,it wasa condition of Camardi'sprobation that he not live with animals and not drink alcohol, so heis now facing new charges.

"It's unfair, he was trying to do a decent deed," said McCarty.

Police alleged they found a dog, two cats, beer and marijuana in Camardi's home last week.

But Pelletier and McCarty say theirhouseacross the street was beingfumigated,so they asked Camardi if they could come over with their petsMarie, Star and BamBamfor several hours.

The couple saythey had no idea Camardi wasn't allowed to be around animals.

"I really didn't know his situation," said Michelle Pelletier. "If I had known, I wouldn't have put him in that position."

Pelletier says she was in Camardi's home the whole time except when sheran across the street to lock her door after the fumigation was finished. Bythe time she came back, she sayspolice had descended on Camardi's home.

The couple believes Camardi was embarrassed or scared to tell them they couldn't bring their animals over and that's why he told them they had to stay in the home too.

Camardi ischarged with four counts of breaching his probation conditions.

Animals starved, beaten

In 2014, Camardi who was 18yearsold at the time of his arrest pleaded guiltyto two charges of animal cruelty after a two-year-old husky and a kitten werefound dead in a southeast alleywith their muzzles taped shut.

A necropsy found the husky died of starvation while the nine-month-old kitten had been strangled and had suffered other injuries to its body.

Camardiabused the animals over a period oftwo tothreemonths. He got them from a family who was giving them away on Kijiji.

Camardi appeared in court Thursday. He has a new lawyer who will set a date for a bail hearing onFeb. 22. The Crown has indicated it will oppose his release.