8-week old kitten smashed into wall
Cleator Moor, EN (UK)Incident Date: Sunday, Jul 10, 2005
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Christopher Lavery
Kitten killer Christopher Lavery - described in court as an "animal lover" - looks set to escape a jail sentence. Lavery admitted smashing the head of Smudge - an eight-week old family pet - against a wall before throwing it into bramble bushes. The 27-year old defendant, of Ennerdale Road, Cleator Moor, also admitted three charges of common assult on two teenage girls. He apeared in Whitehaven Magistrates Court last Monday, after a warrant was issued for his arrest when he failed to turn up for sentencing the previous Friday. Magistrates adjourned for a pre-sentence report which would include the need for Lavery to receive psychiatric treatment.
The court heard that Lavery had no recollection of the incidents - which all took place on July 10 last - as he had consumed a mixture of alcohol, prescription drugs and cocaine. The court heard that Lavery spent the night on the sofa of a friend's house. The cat also had to spend the night indoors as it had not been inoculated. Cath McClenan, prosecuting, said that the family awoke in the morning, the cat was missing and Lavery had blood on his shirt. The family spent most of the morning looking for the cat, before Lavery confessed that he had "smashed its head off a wall and chucked it", she said. The cat was later found dead in brambles nearby. Its injuries included a damaged head and missing teeth.
Magistrates also heard that later that day, Lavery was walking home when he "slapped the backside" of a teenage girl, and began making suggestive comments and shouting abuse. He also grabbed the arm of another teenage girl who became involved, but both girls managed to break free and run away. The girls picked Lavery from an identity parade.
David Roberts, for Lavery, said his client was an "animal lover and had worked for charities supporting animals". Mr. Roberts urged magistrates not to give Lavery a custodial sentence, saying he probably suffers from a bi-polar disorder, such as manic depression, and would be vulnerable in prison because of his condition. He added that Lavery should be given credit for accepting the remarks attributed to him, despite having no recollection of the events.
Sentencing has been adjourned until June 7. References
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