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A Canadian pet shop owner has been acquitted following the death of two young boys who were asphyxiated by a python.
Two brothers, aged four and six were killed by the pet in 2013 after it escaped from a New Brunswick pet shop.
The 4.3m (14ft) snake slithered through a ventilation duct to reach the brothers, who were staying overnight in the flat above the shop, reports the BBC.
Prosecutors said Jean-Claude Savoie had shown reckless disregard for the safety of Noah Barthe, four, and Connor, six.
But jurors accepted that Mr Savoie could not have foreseen the snake would fit through the 10cm-wide pipe and therefore would not have secured the opening.
A pathologist said the boys had died of asphyxiation but also had several snake bite puncture wounds.
The African rock python was put down after the incident.
