A man in his 30s who threw two pet cats from the 12th floor and killed them sentenced to 1 year in prison and 2 years probation

A man in his 30s accused of throwing two pet cats out of a window to their deaths was sentenced to a suspended prison term.

The Criminal Division 6 of Changwon District Court in Gyeongnam (Judge Kim Jae-yoon) sentenced Mr. A, in his 30s, who was tried for violating the Animal Protection Act, to one year in prison with a two-year suspension on the 7th.

He was also ordered to undergo probation, complete 240 hours of community service, and attend 40 hours of violence treatment lectures.

Earlier, Mr. A was accused of throwing two cats he was raising out of a window on the 12th floor of an officetel in Nae-dong, Gimhae City, at around 4:40 a.m. on June 24 last year, about two minutes apart, causing their deaths.

The cats fell about 42 meters down in front of a convenience store on the first floor and died shortly after. Citizens who witnessed the incident reported it to the police.

A post related to the Gimhae cat killing incident uploaded by Animal Rights Action Kara. [Image source=Animal Rights Action Kara social networking service (SNS)]

During the police investigation, Mr. A was found to have committed the crime while intoxicated without any particular reason.

At the previous trial, Mr. A’s defense attorney argued, “The incident occurred at 4 a.m., and although the first witness statement mentioned hearing a female voice, the defendant’s voice is completely different from that of the female. There is no witness who directly said the defendant threw the cats, and it is difficult to conclude beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant threw the animals he was raising,” claiming innocence.

Mr. A claimed that the cats might have fallen after opening the window screen, but the court did not accept this.

The court pointed out, “If the cats had opened the window screen, it would have remained open after they fell, but photos taken by witnesses after the incident show the screen was closed. It is difficult to believe the cats opened the screen themselves and fell.”

Furthermore, the court ruled, “Considering that Mr. A entered the room where the cats fell and which is his residence just before the incident, and that only male DNA was detected from the deceased cats, the fact that Mr. A committed the crime is proven.”

The court stated, “The method of the crime was harsh and cruel, and there was a risk of injury to witnesses below the building, so the nature of the crime is serious. Nevertheless, the defendant denied the crime with unacceptable excuses, showed no remorse, witnesses gave consistent statements, and there is no prior record of similar crimes, which were all considered in sentencing.”

A representative from the animal rights group KARA’s Policy Change Team said, “Although the sentence is regrettable, it is meaningful that Mr. A’s animal abuse charges were recognized. To prevent further abuse, a system banning animal abusers from keeping animals should be introduced.”