Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: Sue P (Paddysmum) on August 24, 2010, 08:52:50 AM
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Did anyone see the outrageous footage on the news last night, or in the paper this morning of a woman, aged about mid fifties, who walked past a cat who jumped up on a wall to be stroked. She stroked it, then picked it up, opened the lid of a wheelie bin in the garden, and dumped the cat inside?! She then walked off.
It was there for almost fifteen hours before its frantic owners heard its cries and tracked it down tot he bin. It was a former rescue cat, and had been nervous of people until fairly recently.
What a hideous heartless thing to do. It was captured on CCTV, as the owners of the property with the wheelie bin had previously had vandals attack their cars. I wouldn't usually wish harm on people, but I hope this pathetic excuse for a human has her particular chickens come home to roost very soon and in great quantity for that act.
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That's :censored: disgusting! It's the sort of thing a chavvy teenager would do, not a middle aged woman. Is she mentally ill or something?
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TBH leaving aside the woman for a minute i think i would have been searching for my cat a lot sooner than the owners did --I wonder if there is a lot more to this than meets the eye at first glance -yes what she did was inexcusable and no way endorsable but could there have been a grudge between them ? does she know them -did she in a misguided way think it would teach them to look after their cat better as by example of what could happen ?? or is she just mentally ill ??? is it a publicity stunt even a set up job ????
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Could well have been a grudge, but certainly didn't look like a put up job.
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I read on another forum last night that because this has gone viral over facebook etc, the woman has been identified...she'll soon regret what she thought was a sneaky thing that no-one noticed now it's all over the world! I know what you mean about it being a long time though, I can't help but think I'd have found one of my cats within a few minutes of going looking if they were in a bin that close to home :scared:
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The news story (with CCTV footage) is here: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100823/tod-woman-caught-on-cctv-dumping-kitten-870a197.html (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100823/tod-woman-caught-on-cctv-dumping-kitten-870a197.html)
Now I've seen it, I don't think she's ill - she clearly looked around to see if anyone was watching before she did it, she obviously knew what she was doing.
What worries me about these sort of incidents going viral is that there are morons out there who will think it's funny to do the same thing.
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I saw this on facebook this morning. It made me feel sick :sick:
Absolutely filled me with rage and disgust :mad2:
I read comments on the link and some folk thought it was funny?! :grrrrrr:
That poor poor cat must have been terrified :'( :scared:
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It says here that her name is (Ironically) xxxxxx and she is on FB - I'm not so can't see the link.
http://ourcompass.wordpress.com/2010/08/23/so-who-is-the-middle-aged-woman-who-stopped-to-stroke-the-cat-before-cruelly-dumping-kitty-in-the-litter/
btw - this is the 3rd thread about this. I started one but Karen at cov-cats had already started one so they were merged :shify:
ETA - although the link doesn't work, if you copy and paste the whole thing it does. I don't know where the info came from that it is her - I would hate the idea of the wrong person being accused of something so vile.
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I think unless it's been confirmed somewhere officially it's unwise to start a witch hunt; just my opinion.
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link works fine in Opera :) another thread merge needed methinks.
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http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Woman-Who-Put-Cat-In-Bin-In-Coventry-Is-Identified-By-RSPCA-And-Given-Police-Protection/Article/201008415704447?lid=ARTICLE_15704447_WomanWhoPutCatInBinInCoventryIsIdentifiedByRSPCAAndGivenPoliceProtection&lpos=searchresults
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Police protection; surely not? It's not like people have been given the name for definite. What a waste of resources.
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That evil :censored: shouldn't be given protection anyway.
And as for the kitten's owners, what were they doing going out for Sunday lunch as if nothing was wrong?
The attack happened at 7.55pm on Saturday and the kitten was trapped for nearly 16 hours before she was dicovered by the Manns who were heading out for Sunday lunch
They hadn't even found the poor kitty then >:( and she had been missing all night. I would have been out of my mind with worry and completely unable to eat at all, let alone able go out for a meal >:(
Something doesn't add up here.
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I have suggested on fb that they cat proof the garden in future, got a mixed response :rofl:
Brays lane is somewhere we will only home to if we are sure the cat will not be allowed outside. heavy traffic and cars parked all down the road.
it is an interesting story as she was caught on cctv but in terms of actual cruelty, there have been a few cats killed with pellet guns here that have made the papers recently and also from the binmen who have published some of their road kill stats, a large amount of cats and one body found in a wheelie bin covered in cigarette burns.....
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They hadn't even found the poor kitty then and she had been missing all night. I would have been out of my mind with worry and completely unable to eat at all, let alone able go out for a meal
I think most of us would be unable to eat in similar circumstances but there are still people out there who assume when a cat doesn't come home it's just "doing what cats do" and feel no sense of urgency - and indeed, there are some cats who will stop away for a day or two and then go home - usually un-neutered toms.
But, I think it would be unfair to say that those people don't care about their animals in the sense that, whether or not they care for their animals to the degree we believe they should be cared for, they don't want to see them hurt, or the victims of other people's spite or cruelty either.
I certainly work with someone whose cat doesn't have access to the house during the day while she's at work. I find that unthinkable - particularly as she owns her own home, so doesn't have to consider landlords' wishes - but I have to admit she does - by her own lights - love the cat, and often takes him little toys home to play with or treats for his tea. :Dont know:
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Yep, people have such wide views of cat care. Because they are independent not everyone would worry to the extent a lot of us would if we didn't see our cats before going to bed for the night. (I do a roll call.... :evillaugh: Clearly, that involves me looking around the house, not the cats moving....)
I know someone who is convinced her cats are likely to withstand cold weather better because they've got long fur. She loves her cats a great deal but seems to think all long haired cats are descended from Norwegian Forest cats or some other hardier breed. (Her thoughts, not mine. I've no idea if they're hardier or not!)
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I have only one cat that wanders in the few houses near me and thats Winston . He usually comes when i call him anyway -BUT when i let him out i watch exactly where he goes (usually to the same place) and i give him 10 mins -then i shout him and if he doesn''t come back within another 2 mins -i go and look for him and fetch him home.
He is currently out the front of my house now , in his little cat house -on guard :rofl: .
I check on him even then every 10 mins to make sure he hasn;''t moved . Maybe a bit ott -but at least i know he is safe .
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Anyone else noticed how she is carrying a black ? jumper ? which acts perfectly as a screen to stop anyone seeing what she is putting in the bin from the roadside ?? this is all a bit fishy somehow -no one heard the cat -no one passed by ? She also manages to scruff the cat quite efficiently !?
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Facebook is in meltdown as the RSPCA coventry has set up a Just Giving page... it's conspiracy theories ecverywhere!
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Some people on fb thinks she looks like rosemary west the serial killer from the 80's
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Read about this on Aol news and could not believe it >:(
I am speechless :(
Wonder if she has done this sort of thing before
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As soon as I saw this today I just felt sick. Bazza went missing the night before our bin collection in March and I didn't know for sure he was missing in the morning (thought hubby had fed him and he'd gone out before I went to work). By the time I got home from work and he wasn't back I started to think the wheelie bins were a possibility. Binmen said they hadn't seen anything - and I'm sure if he'd been alive and in a bin, Baz would've jumped out as soon as they opened the top, but knowing that someone has actually done this to a live cat just brings it all back :(
Whatever the reason is that she did this to the cat, she deserves to get whatever the RSPCA or police decide to punish her with. Even if there is some sort of grudge going on with her and the cat owners, there is never any excuse to take it out on a defenceless animal :(
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the owner was quoted as saying
"She doesn't come home much, to be honest - she only comes home to eat and the rest of the time she is out and about so we didn't even notice she was missing."
says it all really, poor Lola >:(
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BazandGem
I know it must go through your mind but I really don't think that could have happened to Bazza :hug: If a cat was trapped in a bin I think when the lid was open he would have freaked out or jumped out so the bin men would notice :hug:
the owner was quoted as saying
"She doesn't come home much, to be honest - she only comes home to eat and the rest of the time she is out and about so we didn't even notice she was missing."
says it all really, poor Lola >:(
I don't think the owners deserve any crticism, at the end of the day some people let their cats out at night (I don't/wouldn't) and they are quoted as saying they noticed her missing when they got up to feed her. They looked for her in the surrounding alleyways but didn't find her until they heard the meow. They've handled themselves very well throughout it all and Lola seems well loved and is also a rescue cat :)
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BazandGem
I know it must go through your mind but I really don't think that could have happened to Bazza :hug: If a cat was trapped in a bin I think when the lid was open he would have freaked out or jumped out so the bin men would notice :hug:
the owner was quoted as saying
"She doesn't come home much, to be honest - she only comes home to eat and the rest of the time she is out and about so we didn't even notice she was missing."
says it all really, poor Lola >:(
I don't think the owners deserve any crticism, at the end of the day some people let their cats out at night (I don't/wouldn't) and they are quoted as saying they noticed her missing when they got up to feed her. They looked for her in the surrounding alleyways but didn't find her until they heard the meow. They've handled themselves very well throughout it all and Lola seems well loved and is also a rescue cat :)
I agree on the last point and my big cats spend most of their time out at night, I was going to say when its not raining but this time of year that doesnt seem to deter Misa...........sigh.
I think this often depends on where you live, and the cat and have to say Kocka used to go outside at night in London, she waqs streetwise but very friendly to people, just hated other cats.
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BazandGem
I know it must go through your mind but I really don't think that could have happened to Bazza :hug: If a cat was trapped in a bin I think when the lid was open he would have freaked out or jumped out so the bin men would notice :hug:
Thanks, I'm sure you're right. He's probably just decided to go off and find himself a new garden to sun himself in somewhere (he was an adult unneutered stray when we got him so I half think he's averaging 3 or 4 years in a succession of different doting households!)
As far as the cat being allowed out at night/not coming home often - it does depend on where they live. I never worried about Baz going out at night because it was what he wanted to do and he'd pop in and out for a couple of hours at a time through the evening/morning but spend the afternoon asleep on our bed. But since we've had Rossi we've made a point of getting him when it goes dark and locking his cat flap for the night - but as he'd been in a foster home before we adopted him and was only young it was easy to get into a routine like this. The family had recently moved to the house from what I read online, so maybe it had never occurred to them that they should keep their cat in at night in the new house. Besides which, the time on the CCTV footage is 19.54 - hardly what you'd call late-night yob time!
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http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/video/Mary-Bale-Has-Apologised-After-Being-Caught-On-CCTV-Dumping-A-Cat-Inot-A-Wheelie-Bin/Video/201008415706142?lpos=video_Article_Related_Content_Region_2&lid=VIDEO_15706142_Mary_Bale_Has_Apologised_After_Being_Caught_On_CCTV_Dumping_A_Cat_Inot_A_Wheelie_Bin_ (http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/video/Mary-Bale-Has-Apologised-After-Being-Caught-On-CCTV-Dumping-A-Cat-Inot-A-Wheelie-Bin/Video/201008415706142?lpos=video_Article_Related_Content_Region_2&lid=VIDEO_15706142_Mary_Bale_Has_Apologised_After_Being_Caught_On_CCTV_Dumping_A_Cat_Inot_A_Wheelie_Bin_)
The old bag Mary bale apologises for her actions. any way the link as a latest video of her being interviewed
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It's odd but the title says she apologises but I don't consider someone saying "are you sorry?" and her replying "Of course I am" an apology :shify:
I hope she is squirming.
I feel sorry for her poor old mum :(
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I saw that on Sky News yesterday. She was certainly squirming. The media really are persistent aren't they :doh:
I do feel sorry for her mum too, Mark.
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I felt sorry for her Mum too, but her 'apology' was very abrupt and possibly the most insincere apology I've ever heard :tired: Sorry she did it or sorry she got caught?
There's a new statement from her in The Sun, I think the death threats are ridiculous and completely out of proportion but I'm glad this has has such a massive impact on her life. I find it very hard to believe that was the first animal she was needlessly and inexplicably cruel to >:(
There's a lovely pic of Lola enjoying her new bed surrounded by lots of treats and toys :)
From today's Sun:
"I just don't know what came over me. The RSPCA asked me why I did it and I had to say I just hadn't got a clue. I have tried to think back to when it happened but my mind is a complete blank. I don't have pets but I have nothing against cats and have never wanted to do any animal any harm. It's not the case that I've seen a cat kill garden birds or one has messed in my garden. I've had death threats and the last 48 hours have seen my life turned upside down due to my own stupidity. I just want people to know I'm not a wicked person. There is no motive for what I did. It was just a moment of madness.
Bale fears she will be fired from her job at an RBS branch in Rugby, Warwickshire. And she said: "I will know in a few weeks if I will be taken to court and I fear my employers will get rid of me. "Who wants to be served by the woman who dumped the cat in a bin?" Bale said she wanted to apologise in person to Lola's owner Stephanie Andrews-Mann. But she was told by the RSPCA it would be "inappropriate" as an investigation was under way. Instead, a statement was issued on Bale's behalf telling Stephanie and her husband Darryl: "I want to apologise profusely for the distress my actions have caused. It was a split-second of misjudgment.
The apology drew a cool response from the couple. Stephanie, 24, said: "I wouldn't let that woman within a mile of Lola, she might recognise her and have a fit. Why fling a living creature into a wheelie bin if you don't mean to harm it? There's something wrong with the woman. Darryl, 26, said: "We want her prosecuted."
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What I don't understand is, if she did it on the spur of the moment, that moment lasted all night. At any time she could have returned and just tipped the bin over so the cat could get out. There was absolutely no excuse not to do that. By the way, Mercia Sound have done a spoof revenge film. I can't do a link as I'm not too clever with computers, but it's very funny.
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From today's Sun:
I just want people to know I'm not a wicked person. There is no motive for what I did. It was just a moment of madness.
"I want to apologise profusely for the distress my actions have caused. It was a split-second of misjudgment.
This is what I find most disturbing. Normal, sane people don't have moments of madness like that. It's a very sociopathic thing to do :Crazy:
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From today's Sun:
I just want people to know I'm not a wicked person. There is no motive for what I did. It was just a moment of madness.
"I want to apologise profusely for the distress my actions have caused. It was a split-second of misjudgment.
This is what I find most disturbing. Normal, sane people don't have moments of madness like that. It's a very sociopathic thing to do :Crazy:
I entirely agree Den. If you stabbed someone in the street in a moment of madness you'd end up in a secure unit. If you locked a small child in a cupboard for fifteen hours with no food or water, in a moment of madness, you'd end up in prison. It's not a plausible excuse. It wasn't as if the cat even scratched her, when she may have lashed out in temper as retaliation. It was cool, calm and calculating. It was that abuse of trust and affection offered that's the shocking thing to me.
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It wasn't as if the cat even scratched her, when she may have lashed out in temper as retaliation. It was cool, calm and calculating. It was that abuse of trust and affection offered that's the shocking thing to me.
Spot on, although it could never be justified you could almost understand it if the cat had tripped her up or scratched her but it was the cold calculating way she did it, gaining her trust before checking around to see nobody was watching >:(
For anyone that says 'it's just a cat' (not on Purrs!), it's not the fact it was a cat - it's that it was a harmless, defenceless creature that she had no reason to inflict such an evil act on.
I know there are worse atrocities on animals probably every day but this one there is 100% proof of what she did and her identity so she simply must be prosecuted.
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By the way, Mercia Sound have done a spoof revenge film.
http://www.mercia.co.uk/Article.asp?id=1929903 :evillaugh:
I agree, it was a cold, calculated act and she should be punished. I also agree that the cat didn't suffer any physical pain but a message needs to be sent out. I would like to say amongst other things, she should be made to clean litter trays for 5 years, but she would need watching every second, so probably not practical.
Someone on a newspaper comment section said she should be put in stocks and have dirty cat litter chucked at her :evillaugh:
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I was really bowled over by how humble and sincere she was in her apology! :rofl:
I think it's safe to say she won't be joined Purrs anytime soon :rofl: :rofl:
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the test for me is - would she still have put the cat in the bin if she had known about the camera?
clearly the answer is no, so it was not a moment of madness, nor a misjudgement
it was deliberate act, done for reasons she has not disclosed
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This has all gone very quiet - is there anybody here from Coventry that knows anything further ?
:thanks:
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Not heard a thing, though just got phoned up by the telegraph as they wanted to know if we were the charity that paul o'grady was going to give £5k to......(I wish - bet CP will get it!)
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according to the article in the telegraph, the rspca have no decided if to prosecute
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/2010/09/14/paul-o-grady-pledges-5-000-to-charity-after-wheelie-bin-cat-woman-scandal-92746-27264431/
(and still no cheque in the post :rofl:)
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Breaking news just now is that she has been charged with 2 offences under the Animal Welfare Act :wow:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-11375080
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I'm glad it's being taken seriously.
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So pleased she is to be brought before the courts, hope she is made an example of.
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So pleased cos it will also send a message out to others who abuse animals
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Good!!!!
DAISY!! Cover your ear's Girl!!
Hope they put her in a :censored: bin!!! Preferably one with an :censored: incinerator attatched!! :censored: witch should be shot...
And breath!
Merv &
:D: :A: :I: :S: :Y: :C: :A: :T:
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She is due to appear before Coventry Magistrates Court on 19 October.
does anyone know if public are allowed as I'm thinking of going......?
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If you are allowed in Angie, you better get there early as press interest will be high I'm sure.... for good and bad reasons....
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I believe anyone can go to the Courts, at any level - Justice being seen so to speak. Let's hope they ask her MY question - why didn't she return at some time and let the cat out?????
Here's some cats I saw at a Monastery in Corfu, they're eating a big bowl of..rice!! All the cats I saw on holiday looked very happy and healthy. The place wasn't swarming with them but I always like to see a moggy when I'm on hol. Must say thought I was very tempted to make a little tabby & white 12 wk old my return hand luggage!
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Angie - shouldn't be any problem attending if you want to go. Public gallery is exactly that - public.
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Hope you can go Angie cos would be great to have a Purrs reporter there .
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Angie i will ask my dad he is a magistrate there. Unfortunatly he works thursdays so i can get him to send her down for life :rofl:
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I spoke to my welfare lecturer about this case and suggested that compared to a lot of cruelty cases, this is minor (although could have ended in tragedy) she just said that it is important that any high-profile cases are dealt with and punished to get the message out to as many as possible. What I am waiting to hear an outcome on is the scum who callously drowned 8 cats on-by-one over the course of a week. It doesn't seem to have had anywhere near as much frenzy surrounding it as the cat-in-bin case, yet it is far worse. In an ideal world, I would like to see the woman sentenced to death by drowning, although in reality, she will get a slap on the wrist and a 5-year ban.
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its because there are no photos Mark, the media is lazy - lets face it cats are put in bins all the time but without photos never make the news
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Well there were over a dozen reporters inside and a bank of cameras outside and as I drove home heard first reports on the radio.
She was brought in on 5 matters but all but one was dropped - the causing of unneccessary suffering.
The prosecutor had to show the video footage on his laptop to the magistrate as the dvd wouldn't play.
She pleaded guilty.
she was on the way to her mums house and often passed Lola and fussed her. the incident happened at 8pm on 21st August. The cat was found next day bu owners and was distressed but not injured. Lola in bin 15 hours.
Magistrate made great emphasis on the animal not being hurt, even though it was hot it was in the evening. She said the proscutor had not checked the contents on the bin so could not say the cat could have been hurt by broken glass, would not have suffered heat stroke and no one could tell her when the bin men were actually due.
There was a vet report but he had not seen the animal and most of it revolved round what could have happened and everyone stressed that Lola was not hurt.
We were then talked through the video, stressing she looked round, stepped back toward bin scruffed the cat in then just walked away.
Owners reported to rspca and police. Mary Bale was reported as having no priors, but magistrate was asked under section 5.34 that she be disqualified from having animals. She does not have any animals and has never had but has been known to look after.
Costs of £1171-04 for case.
Her defendant say she was of good character, no previous, and had admitted to it at all stages. She did not know why and was said to be very regretful. It was 'one impulsive act". They mentioned hr dad was in intensive care after a fall and she had been visiting each day and was not eaing or sleeping well. She has resigned from her job of 27years cos of all the attention and is living of savings. Since the incident she has been seen by docs for stress and depression. They asked for financial penalty not community penalty.
Magistrate then vanished for 20mins (cup of tea and biscuit no doubt).
Verdict - she was of good character and had pleaded guilty. She was under stress that was no excuse.
The potential for harm had been substantial but cat was fine. Mary was 'mortifies' and magistrate was sure that remorse was genuine. She has been vilified by the media.
Fine of £250 plus court costs totalling £1436-04. Payment was supposd to be made before she left court but as she was unemployed it was £500 now and the rest within 56 days.
She was disqualified from owning or keeping or helping to keep animals for 5 years.
I didn't stay around for the media but a lady from the BBC took my name and number in court (having spotted my bright green Coventry Cat Group Tshirt!).
Thats all - have to do some vet visits now..... your reporter signing off........
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If I was the judge,I'd also give her a restraining order saying she is not allowed to go within 150 feet of any animal for a year.... That'd :censored: her! :evillaugh:
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Shame they seem to have concentrated on physical harm. The cat might not have been physically hurt, but what about the distress caused by being shut in a dark, confined space and not being able to escape?
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Wholly unsurprised they mentioned her Father's fall, the stress and the pressure..... her unemployed status (now - following her resignation presumably as she was getting too much grief at work for such appalling behaviour....)
I think the thing I find the most worrying is that she had no idea why she did it. From a child of 5 I could maybe accept that, but not from a woman grown and one who professes to like animals. :Dont know:
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SThe cat might not have been physically hurt, but what about the distress caused by being shut in a dark, confined space and not being able to escape?
Not to mention the stress to the cat's owners wondering where she was.
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Thanks for the eye-witness report Angie!
Seems like the prosecution missed a few tricks there ie what was in the bin, how hot it was that day, when bin day was etc
I would have preferred a harsher penalty but the Magistrate is right that she has been absolutely vilified by the media, that is far worse punishment than any fine and well deserved!
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Thank you to our on the spot reporter, Angie :hug:
I think the prosecution lost the plot completely and that little cat was terrified for its life for all that time and am sure I remember that it had fouled itself and was covered.
However this lady has now effectively lost her ability to live in a normal way, she will be remembered for ever and the fine plus costs will be a drain on her resources. She will never forget what she did and she probably knows exactly why she did it and will never for get this for the rest of her life.
I feel some community service would have been a good idea but although the sentence seems fairly light, I dont think it is.
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I think that's right - the public humiliation she's endured means effectively her life will never be "normal" again. She'll no doubt always be remembered as a bit of a "mad old bint wot putta cat in a bin for a laff"
Part of me thinks that she deserves it. Part of me still wonders what on earth motivated her?
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That's the bit I find most worrying; not knowing what motivated her to do such a thing.
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I knew she would only get a slap on the wrist. I think she should have been punished for the distress caused + the potential harm. Who can say what made her do it? - I doubt she will ever do anything like it again. I really am amazed at the mass hysteria over this case, when there has been no more mention of the
woman scum that willfully drowned 8 of her cats over the course of a week. She is a lot more dangerous than Mary Bale and I really hope she gets seriously punished. The court case is on 29th October.
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You've already answered your own question on that case Mark earlier - as you said then, because it wasn't filmed and shown on prime time TV it's hard for people to know about it, and what they don't know or don't witness means less to them than something they see with their own eyes or footage that is indisputable. :(
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I was trying to see if there was an update and found a story about a 'man' in America who answered 19 FTGH ads in newspapers and what he did to the cats is even worse. I couldn't read any more as it was so unthinkable but one of the things I read said he was facing 5 years in jail. I didn't get as far as reading the outcome - just to say that someone like that is so miswired in their head that there really is an argument for euthanising humans >:( - It really is a lesson to people who think that advertising FTGH is what will happen though. If anyone is interested, I am not putting a link but his name is Anthony Apollonia. There was a petition to get him jailed but there were only 2,500 sigs :(
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It's one L Mark, I just looked. And the Care2 petition is closed so I couldn't sign it. I only skim read because of what you'd posted but I read enough. :( Sometimes I can't believe humans are all the same species.
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I don't read stuff like that any more. I accept some people in this world are hideously malfunctioning but I can't cope with the images stories of that nature leave behind in my mind. The sheer enormity of the cruelty overwhelms me to a point I can't function, so I can't read them.
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Like I say Sue, skim read. To be honest I looked it up to see if I could find a petition still running to sign.