Case Details

Kitten's neck broken, pregnant woman kicked
Upper Hutt, NL (NZ)

Incident Date: Saturday, Dec 31, 2005
Disposition: Convicted

Abuser/Suspect: Paul Matthew Stainton

Case ID: 6913
Classification: Choking / Strangulation / Suffocation
Animal: cat
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Paul Matthew Stainton, 31, of Upper Hutt, was sentenced to 100 hours' community service and six months' supervision when he appeared in Upper Hutt District Court yesterday. He had pleaded guilty to ill-treating an animal and assaulting the woman.

Police said Stainton began drinking heavily and was angry and abusive after he arrived home to find his pregnant partner of seven months packed and ready to leave. She called police after he kicked her several times and threatened to kill the kitten. Stainton then caught and killed the kitten. Judge Chris Tuohy had warned Stainton he could face imprisonment.

At the January 9, 2006 sentencing, defense lawyer Ian Hard said Stainton had never appeared before the courts and his actions were out of character. "The reason he went for the kitten was because the argument started over it," he said. Stainton grew up believing you toilet-trained kittens by rubbing their noses in their faeces, he said. "His partner took great exception to it," Mr Hard said.

The kicks were to his former partner's upper body and were not intended to harm the baby.

Stainton was a valuable member of the community, was well regarded by his employer, was remorseful and had voluntarily attended anger management sessions, Mr Hard said. Judge Jan Kelly said Stainton had grabbed the kitten around the neck, "started squeezing it, then twisting its neck, killing it". An appropriate sentence was needed to denounce Stainton's actions and deter others from offending in similar ways, she said. A community-based sentence served that purpose, while allowing him to remain in employment and to undergo further counselling.

SPCA chief executive Robyn McDonald was "extremely disappointed" with the sentence. Women's Refuge and SPCA figures showed animal cruelty and domestic violence went hand in hand, she said.

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References

NZ News - January 10, 2006

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