Alberta teens get community service for animal cruelty

[GaryC 7]

Alberta teens get community service for microwaving cat

September 4, 2008 at 6:43 PM EDT

CAMROSE, Alta. — Two 16-year-old Alberta boys who admitted to breaking into a neighbour's house, putting the family cat in a microwave and then watching it cook to death have been sentenced to one year of probation and 100 hours of community service.

Youth court Judge Shauna Miller also banned the pair from owning pets for two years, which means one of the teen's family will have to give up a dog they purchased just 10 months ago.

The teens each plead guilty to charges of break, enter and theft, mischief and causing unnecessary pain, suffering and injury to an animal in the grisly incident that took place during Christmas holidays last year.

“The cat was screaming in the microwave for 10 minutes while it was essentially cooked to death,” said Crown prosecutor John Laluk.

“What makes it worse is they not only tortured the cat, but they wanted to torture the family. This was a deliberate attempt to inflict pain on the homeowners.”

Court heard the two youths were among a group of five young people who broke into the home while the owners were away. Over the course of two nights, they caused at least $10,000 in damage.

Holes were punched in walls. Guitars were smashed. A television was destroyed.

But the most disturbing crime was described in a felt-pen scrawl on the kitchen window and cabinets: “You had a nice cat” and “it's in the microwave.”

Inside was the family's pet, Princess.

“This shows a lack of respect for societal values, you both knew your actions were wrong ... the reports indicate that,” the judge said.

The family that was victimized was not in court Thursday.

The teens apologized, but offered no explanation of their actions.

“I'm sorry for what I did and I can guarantee it won't happen again,” said one teen.

The other added: “I am also very, very sorry. I can't believe still that I was involved in something with this intensity of wrongness.”

A psychiatric assessment found one of the boys lacks guilt, remorse or empathy, but is capable of understanding his act. The assessment found nothing unusual with the other boy.

“There's no explanation for his actions,” said defence lawyer Bill Anderssen. “At least he doesn't have an explanation. He knows these people are devastated by his actions.”

Chris Millsap, the other defence lawyer, described his client as a gifted musician who plays in the church band.

“There's no explanation ... for such a heinous crime,” said Mr. Millsap. “He's a very good kid who did something very wrong.”

One of the teens lived only a few doors down from the victims. The other lived a few blocks away. Neither had a previous record.

Outside court, a handful protesters carried placards that read “Justice for Princess” with picture of the cat with a heart around it.

It's a taste of what's to come for the youths, said Mr. Millsap, who said the notoriety for the crime amounts to “a life sentence.”

One family has moved away from Camrose. Schoolmates of one of the boys put a microwave inside his locker with a stuffed cat inside.

Two have pleaded not guilty and are set to go on trial in November and the other is facing different charges.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...y/National/home

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Canada. SNAFU

[IAMX 3,055]

At least Canada is somewhat rational about how they punish people. It's just a damn cat, and teens are prone to mistakes.

Oops, I mean.. DEATH PENALTY, THOSE KILLERS. They must die for their atrocious acts!

[Der Bücherwurm 1]

That's sick. They should have been committed to a mental institution for 10yrs. Most serial killers start out by torturing and killing defenseless animals before they move on to committing the same acts against people.

[Mina76 0]

That's sick. They should have been committed to a mental institution for 10yrs. Most serial killers start out by torturing and killing defenseless animals before they move on to committing the same acts against people.

Yes, real sick mental cases!!!

[natty bumppo 297]

At least Canada is somewhat rational about how they punish people. It's just a damn cat, and teens are prone to mistakes.

Oops, I mean.. DEATH PENALTY, THOSE KILLERS. They must die for their atrocious acts!

most do .. by their own hands ... after committing more "news worthy" crimes .....

[MichelleN 0]

Reading this actually made me feel physically ill. How any person could stand by and watch and listen to an animal die slowly.....is just beyond me. I wish they would have gotten a more severe punishment. Actual jail time....paying reparations to the family of that poor cat and most definitely....MANDATORY psychological counseling. These boys have got problems that need to be dealt with now before they move on to hurting humans.

[MrsCat 6]

sick bunch of pukes! And its not just a cat, it had a life and was significant to an entire family. That sentence was a joke - basic rules that the parent's should have had in place years ago.

[Mags 112]

At least Canada is somewhat rational about how they punish people. It's just a damn cat, and teens are prone to mistakes.

Oops, I mean.. DEATH PENALTY, THOSE KILLERS. They must die for their atrocious acts!

How can you say "it's just a cat"? It is still a living being that never deserved to die in such an appalling manner. I don't believe they should have the death penalty, mainly because I don't believe that capitol punishment is right, but they certainly deserved a longer jail term and some psychiatric care. Anyone who shows no remorse or emotion when torturing something to death has serious issues.

"Just" a damn cat. Sheesh.

I just can't take all the fcuking cruelty that I see. Seriously, this world is a fcuked up place and I hate it.

P.S. I edited the topic title, mainly because it made me feel physically sick every time I saw it on the page. Sorry, GaryC.

Edited September 7, 2008 by Magenta

[IAMX 3,055]

At least Canada is somewhat rational about how they punish people. It's just a damn cat, and teens are prone to mistakes.

Oops, I mean.. DEATH PENALTY, THOSE KILLERS. They must die for their atrocious acts!

How can you say "it's just a cat"? It is still a living being that never deserved to die in such an appalling manner. I don't believe they should have the death penalty, mainly because I don't believe that capitol punishment is right, but they certainly deserved a longer jail term and some psychiatric care. Anyone who shows no remorse or emotion when torturing something to death has serious issues.

"Just" a damn cat. Sheesh.

I just can't take all the fcuking cruelty that I see. Seriously, this world is a fcuked up place and I hate it.

You know what happens if the cat was big enough and had the chance? It would eat you. I'm not by any means justifying this act done upon the cat. It's retarded. However, it is just a cat.

I had a similar run in with a cat when I was a child. I'd advise anyone who is easily offended or grossed out not to read.

Anyways, it was shortly after my dad died, I was a pretty pissed off person, getting into fights with people. I took the back door around our house to take out the trash to the side yard, and as I came back to the back door I saw a cat standing next to the fence, not far from the door, it looked at me, then ran inside. We already had a problem in the area with feral cats killing things and ###### up the neighborhood and making too much racket either fighting, having sex, or the females moaning loudly for a male partner. I was livid, since we had a mouse in a cage this cat could easily get to. I looked all around the house for the cat only to find it in my bathtub. It saw me, then as soon as I grabbed it, it #### in my tub. Grabbed it around the neck, took it out back, grabbed a brick in the other hand (we had a few lined up against the fence) and beat it to death, then threw it back out in the alley to join the rest of the feral cats.

It isn't to say killing something like that creates a monster, some people do it indiscriminately, I did it out of rage, but after seeing the cat dead, I decided not to harm another cat with my hands again unless I had to, and since then have, myself, been pretty sensitive to people hitting dogs and cats. Nonetheless, it IS just a cat. They are not endangered, and if they had the chance they would kill you too. We don't know the situation though. Maybe this kid was pissed, maybe they felt peer pressure, maybe they were just sadistic. This thing will certainly manifest itself later on and the kid can seek help. Still, I don't see why one should be punished heavily for an instantaneous act like that, versus some of the ridiculous large farms where cats are indeed tortured and other animals are forced to fight each other for money.

By the way, my viewpoint is bound to piss off PETA members.

My post previous to this one was more or less to mock people who advocate the death penalty.

Edited September 7, 2008 by SRVT

[natty bumppo 297]

At least Canada is somewhat rational about how they punish people. It's just a damn cat, and teens are prone to mistakes.

Oops, I mean.. DEATH PENALTY, THOSE KILLERS. They must die for their atrocious acts!

How can you say "it's just a cat"? It is still a living being that never deserved to die in such an appalling manner. I don't believe they should have the death penalty, mainly because I don't believe that capitol punishment is right, but they certainly deserved a longer jail term and some psychiatric care. Anyone who shows no remorse or emotion when torturing something to death has serious issues.

"Just" a damn cat. Sheesh.

I just can't take all the fcuking cruelty that I see. Seriously, this world is a fcuked up place and I hate it.

You know what happens if the cat was big enough and had the chance? It would eat you. I'm not by any means justifying this act done upon the cat. It's retarded. However, it is just a cat.

I had a similar run in with a cat when I was a child. I'd advise anyone who is easily offended or grossed out not to read.

Anyways, it was shortly after my dad died, I was a pretty pissed off person, getting into fights with people. I took the back door around our house to take out the trash to the side yard, and as I came back to the back door I saw a cat standing next to the fence, not far from the door, it looked at me, then ran inside. We already had a problem in the area with feral cats killing things and ###### up the neighborhood and making too much racket either fighting, having sex, or the females moaning loudly for a male partner. I was livid, since we had a mouse in a cage this cat could easily get to. I looked all around the house for the cat only to find it in my bathtub. It saw me, then as soon as I grabbed it, it #### in my tub. Grabbed it around the neck, took it out back, grabbed a brick in the other hand (we had a few lined up against the fence) and beat it to death, then threw it back out in the alley to join the rest of the feral cats.

It isn't to say killing something like that creates a monster, some people do it indiscriminately, I did it out of rage, but after seeing the cat dead, I decided not to harm another cat with my hands again unless I had to, and since then have, myself, been pretty sensitive to people hitting dogs and cats. Nonetheless, it IS just a cat. They are not endangered, and if they had the chance they would kill you too. We don't know the situation though. Maybe this kid was pissed, maybe they felt peer pressure, maybe they were just sadistic. This thing will certainly manifest itself later on and the kid can seek help. Still, I don't see why one should be punished heavily for an instantaneous act like that, versus some of the ridiculous large farms where cats are indeed tortured and other animals are forced to fight each other for money.

By the way, my viewpoint is bound to piss off PETA members.

My post previous to this one was more or less to mock people who advocate the death penalty.

Humm ... this explains a lot .....

[IAMX 3,055]

At least Canada is somewhat rational about how they punish people. It's just a damn cat, and teens are prone to mistakes.

Oops, I mean.. DEATH PENALTY, THOSE KILLERS. They must die for their atrocious acts!

How can you say "it's just a cat"? It is still a living being that never deserved to die in such an appalling manner. I don't believe they should have the death penalty, mainly because I don't believe that capitol punishment is right, but they certainly deserved a longer jail term and some psychiatric care. Anyone who shows no remorse or emotion when torturing something to death has serious issues.

"Just" a damn cat. Sheesh.

I just can't take all the fcuking cruelty that I see. Seriously, this world is a fcuked up place and I hate it.

You know what happens if the cat was big enough and had the chance? It would eat you. I'm not by any means justifying this act done upon the cat. It's retarded. However, it is just a cat.

I had a similar run in with a cat when I was a child. I'd advise anyone who is easily offended or grossed out not to read.

Anyways, it was shortly after my dad died, I was a pretty pissed off person, getting into fights with people. I took the back door around our house to take out the trash to the side yard, and as I came back to the back door I saw a cat standing next to the fence, not far from the door, it looked at me, then ran inside. We already had a problem in the area with feral cats killing things and ###### up the neighborhood and making too much racket either fighting, having sex, or the females moaning loudly for a male partner. I was livid, since we had a mouse in a cage this cat could easily get to. I looked all around the house for the cat only to find it in my bathtub. It saw me, then as soon as I grabbed it, it #### in my tub. Grabbed it around the neck, took it out back, grabbed a brick in the other hand (we had a few lined up against the fence) and beat it to death, then threw it back out in the alley to join the rest of the feral cats.

It isn't to say killing something like that creates a monster, some people do it indiscriminately, I did it out of rage, but after seeing the cat dead, I decided not to harm another cat with my hands again unless I had to, and since then have, myself, been pretty sensitive to people hitting dogs and cats. Nonetheless, it IS just a cat. They are not endangered, and if they had the chance they would kill you too. We don't know the situation though. Maybe this kid was pissed, maybe they felt peer pressure, maybe they were just sadistic. This thing will certainly manifest itself later on and the kid can seek help. Still, I don't see why one should be punished heavily for an instantaneous act like that, versus some of the ridiculous large farms where cats are indeed tortured and other animals are forced to fight each other for money.

By the way, my viewpoint is bound to piss off PETA members.

My post previous to this one was more or less to mock people who advocate the death penalty.

Humm ... this explains a lot .....

Regarding?

[natty bumppo 297]

At least Canada is somewhat rational about how they punish people. It's just a damn cat, and teens are prone to mistakes.

Oops, I mean.. DEATH PENALTY, THOSE KILLERS. They must die for their atrocious acts!

How can you say "it's just a cat"? It is still a living being that never deserved to die in such an appalling manner. I don't believe they should have the death penalty, mainly because I don't believe that capitol punishment is right, but they certainly deserved a longer jail term and some psychiatric care. Anyone who shows no remorse or emotion when torturing something to death has serious issues.

"Just" a damn cat. Sheesh.

I just can't take all the fcuking cruelty that I see. Seriously, this world is a fcuked up place and I hate it.

You know what happens if the cat was big enough and had the chance? It would eat you. I'm not by any means justifying this act done upon the cat. It's retarded. However, it is just a cat.

I had a similar run in with a cat when I was a child. I'd advise anyone who is easily offended or grossed out not to read.

Anyways, it was shortly after my dad died, I was a pretty pissed off person, getting into fights with people. I took the back door around our house to take out the trash to the side yard, and as I came back to the back door I saw a cat standing next to the fence, not far from the door, it looked at me, then ran inside. We already had a problem in the area with feral cats killing things and ###### up the neighborhood and making too much racket either fighting, having sex, or the females moaning loudly for a male partner. I was livid, since we had a mouse in a cage this cat could easily get to. I looked all around the house for the cat only to find it in my bathtub. It saw me, then as soon as I grabbed it, it #### in my tub. Grabbed it around the neck, took it out back, grabbed a brick in the other hand (we had a few lined up against the fence) and beat it to death, then threw it back out in the alley to join the rest of the feral cats.

It isn't to say killing something like that creates a monster, some people do it indiscriminately, I did it out of rage, but after seeing the cat dead, I decided not to harm another cat with my hands again unless I had to, and since then have, myself, been pretty sensitive to people hitting dogs and cats. Nonetheless, it IS just a cat. They are not endangered, and if they had the chance they would kill you too. We don't know the situation though. Maybe this kid was pissed, maybe they felt peer pressure, maybe they were just sadistic. This thing will certainly manifest itself later on and the kid can seek help. Still, I don't see why one should be punished heavily for an instantaneous act like that, versus some of the ridiculous large farms where cats are indeed tortured and other animals are forced to fight each other for money.

By the way, my viewpoint is bound to piss off PETA members.

My post previous to this one was more or less to mock people who advocate the death penalty.

Humm ... this explains a lot .....

Regarding?

[Mags 112]

No. Not all cases of animal cruelty end up turning the person into a mass murderer. However, you have to be a certain type of person to be able to beat an animal to death with a brick, of all things.

I'm glad to say I'm not that type of person. In my spare time, rather than beating feral cats to death, I help trap them, get them neutered and re-release them into the wild. It's much more productive.

And that's all I'm going to say on this. Otherwise I might have to end up suspending myself.

Edited September 7, 2008 by Magenta

[IAMX 3,055]

No. Not all cases of animal cruelty end up turning the person into a mass murderer. However, you have to be a certain type of person to be able to beat an animal to death with a brick, of all things.

I'm glad to say I'm not that type of person. In my spare time, rather than beating feral cats to death, I help trap them, get them neutered and re-release them into the wild. It's much more productive.

And that's all I'm going to say on this. Otherwise I might have to end up suspending myself.

Well, you're certainly quite judgmental, that's pretty obvious. And I doubt an 11 year old is considering the things you're thinking about, as an adult, more specifically, a pro animal rights adult, especially after their dad died. Wasn't like I was just hunting semi-domesticated animals when I got pissed. That was the only run in with one I had, the rest were fights with people. Thankfully, I learned from this mistake well before I was even in high school, so I'd say it takes a special person to get up on their pedestal and judge another in the manner you're doing.

Edited September 7, 2008 by SRVT