12 year old cat drowned
Eastmoor , EN (UK)

Incident Date: Sunday, Jan 16, 2011

Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: William Craig

A BUS driver drowned his pet cat in the bath, a court heard.

William Craig, 60, of Park Lodge Lane, Eastmoor has now been banned for life from owning animals.

Craig pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal after killing the female cat he had owned for 12 years.

An acquaintance contacted the RSPCA after Craig told them what he had done, city magistrates heard.

Ian Drummond, prosecuting, said Craig had told the RSPCA that he killed the cat because he could not afford to look after it and did not want it anymore.

Craig "snapped" after coming home from work to find it had made a mess inside the house.

Mr Drummond said: "He had not thought about getting in touch with charitable organizations about re-homing the cat."

Craig began looking after two cats when his partner died.

But the other cat, a male, went missing shortly before the incident on January 16.

Stephen Welford, mitigating, said the loss of the cat's companion had affected its behavior and made it more difficult to look after.

He said: "He [Craig] tried to console the cat and it would not settle. It was a culmination of weeks of distress."

Mr Welford also said work-related stress had affected Craig's judgment.

He said: "Bus drivers are in a vulnerable position and sometimes they find themselves subject to abuse and intimidation. It is a stressful and tiring job."

Magistrate Julian Garthwaite imposed a life ban from owning pets on Craig, and ordered him to pay £938 in court costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

He said animal cruelty was "serious", but that it was clear Craig had looked after the cat properly throughout its life.

References

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