UK 'Cat Bin Lady' Pleads Guilty to Animal Cruelty, Fined About $400
10-20-2010, 04:27 PM
(Oct. 19) -- The "cat toss lady" or "cat bin lady" has 'fessed up to her crime in a court of law.
Mary Bale became an international villain when video footage surfaced in August showing her dumping a 4-year-old tabby into a Dumpster (or bin, as Brits say). On Tuesday morning, she appeared at a Coventry court and pleaded guilty to a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. The fine was 250 British pounds ($393).
"The cat was trapped in the bin for approximately 15 hours before her owners heard her cries. They posted video footage of the incident on Facebook and YouTube in an attempt to trace the culprit, " The Guardian reports. The footage became an Internet sensation.
Nicola Foster, an animal rights spokeswoman, said she was pleased with the verdict. "We are pleased that the court agreed that a complete disregard was shown for the cat's welfare and that the cat suffered as a result of being stuck inside the bin for so many hours," she said, according to The Guardian. "However, we hope that this sentence will act as a deterrent to anyone who feels that it is acceptable to mistreat animals in any way."
It's a good thing for her that she's not a resident of Suffolk County, N.Y., where a new public watch list for animal abusers is being set up, modeled on those used to keep track of sex offenders.
On a semi-related note, a cursory glance through 4chan, the notoriously vile (but cat-loving) image-sharing board that helped ID the woman and bring her to justice, revealed no reaction to the news, at least as of this morning.
Mary Bale became an international villain when video footage surfaced in August showing her dumping a 4-year-old tabby into a Dumpster (or bin, as Brits say). On Tuesday morning, she appeared at a Coventry court and pleaded guilty to a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. The fine was 250 British pounds ($393).
"The cat was trapped in the bin for approximately 15 hours before her owners heard her cries. They posted video footage of the incident on Facebook and YouTube in an attempt to trace the culprit, " The Guardian reports. The footage became an Internet sensation.
Nicola Foster, an animal rights spokeswoman, said she was pleased with the verdict. "We are pleased that the court agreed that a complete disregard was shown for the cat's welfare and that the cat suffered as a result of being stuck inside the bin for so many hours," she said, according to The Guardian. "However, we hope that this sentence will act as a deterrent to anyone who feels that it is acceptable to mistreat animals in any way."
It's a good thing for her that she's not a resident of Suffolk County, N.Y., where a new public watch list for animal abusers is being set up, modeled on those used to keep track of sex offenders.
On a semi-related note, a cursory glance through 4chan, the notoriously vile (but cat-loving) image-sharing board that helped ID the woman and bring her to justice, revealed no reaction to the news, at least as of this morning.
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