75ZT Community

Here we go again.

Just when you think you are inured to the wanton acts of some people, they surprise you yet again.

I was chairing a private prosecutions (ie. Non-CPS) Court today and one of the cases was prosecuted by the RSPCA.

A woman, aged 26, in a relationship, with two young children, was brought before the Court charged with two counts of causing unneccesary suffering to an animal.

Does anybody remember those spiral iron rods bent into a sort of "U" shape at the top with a diameter of roughly 20mm and roughly 1.8M long which are used to mark out ground works on building sites and survey areas?

Well, this individual pleaded not guilty to, somehow, ramming one of these poles down the throat of a cat, forcing it out of the animal by what I'd describe from the photos as it's hip. Then, somehow or other, she skewered another cat in the same way on the same pole, throat first, managing to get the pole to exit very close to the cat's tail.

When the animals were found, the finder said that one of the cats was still alive. One of the finders videoed the evidence on his phone. Not for any gratuitous reason but rather as evidence. The cries that the still living cat made on the video will haunt me for a long time.

As you might imagine, the cat still living was put down by a vet.

The whole incident was caught on CCTV as well though with mercifully poor resolution but sufficient to identify the property where the incident took place and that combined with other evidence caused us to bring in a guilty verdict on both counts.

The individual remained perfectly passive throughout.

Unfortunately, this sort of crime is classified as "Summary Only" meaning that the maximum sentence, for both offences will be six months, which, unless the defence and probation service come up with a convincing mental health mitigation, she will undoubtedly serve.

I can't help thinking that there ought to be an opportunity to send these sorts of offences to Crown Court for a longer sentence.

How absolutely awful - some humans do this world absolutely nothing. No doubt the children are being educated and will be in front of the next generation of magistrates.

My concern regarding the children Paul, is that there is sound evidence to suggest that people who abuse animals will go on to abuse children.

I am glad that my late wife is not able to read this. She abhorred cruelty in any form but had a special regard for cats.