Cat dumper Mary Bale charged with animal cruelty, faces prison

Mary "it's just a cat" Bale, the infamous alleged cat bin dumper, was charged with two counts of animal cruelty by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

She will appear before Coventry Magistrates Court next month accused of causing unnecessary suffering to a cat and not providing an animal with a suitable environment. Both offences, which come under the Animal Welfare Act, can carry a prison sentence and a lifetime ban from keeping animals.

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

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Kakiman

Good. Next, I hope, cruelty to pigs.
http://boingboing.net/2007/01/20/big-factory-pig-farm.html
- LandoHungus
  
  BOOSH!
- travtastic
  
  Jesus christ, entries like that should come with a warning and an accept button.
Phlip

Now imagine what could happen if 4chan ever got irritated by cruelty to PEOPLE…
shmengie

hey, i say string her up. but 2 counts? “…causing unnecessary suffering to a cat and of not providing the animal with a suitable environment.” that seems unnecessary. one count of being a douche should cover it very nicely.
- KidDork
  
  I believe douche*bag* would be more gender specific, although ‘douche’ also works.
- travtastic
  
  That’s done a lot of times so as to double the chances of conviction, at least in the states.
W. James Au

Instead of putting Mary Bale in jail, they should put her in an animal shelter where the bigger cats will punk her for cigarettes and zip guns.
Anonymous

Served.
RockFly

You’re going to make me say it? You’re really going to make me say it? Ok… it’s just a cat.
Anonymous

I say a public stoning for the Bale monster.
Eutychus

I’ve read a fair number of the internet comments on this case.

I haven’t read one which questions the legality of having personal CCTV directed at a public highway, much less reproducing what it sees on the web.
Donald Petersen

“Not providing a suitable environment”? What the hell?

Causing unnecessary suffering is the obvious and proper charge. But are we all required by law to provide a suitable environment for all and sundry, including cats one meets on the street?

I’m not asking whether we oughtn’t be required by law to do so… just whether the law as written requires us to do so. At least those of us in Coventry.

God knows I barely provide a suitable environment for myself.
jackdavinci

And the leaders of the meat industry cackled heartily and twiddled their fingers, at seeing their distraction ploy had succeeded
- travtastic
  
  But kitties are pretty and they purr!
technoplastique

They call it a wheelie bin, in Iowa it was called a yardy cart. Also a fantastic name, especially when the local news was doing stories about how many people were being injured in yardy cart accidents. Either way it’s no place for a cat.
ranomatic

There must be plenty to be learned from this story. Here is my list:

1) It would not be a good idea to hire Mary to cat-sit.
2) Wheelie bin is more descriptive than any American term for the same thing.
3) The RSPCA can charge you with crimes.
- Attack Hamster
  
  ranomatic, The RSPCA is a private organisation and has no more powers to charge someone than I do. They are pursuing a private prosecution in the same way that any member of the public is able to do so.
Anonymous

It’s just a cat. Aaaannndd it’s just a felony, folks. That’s all. Really. Just a lil’ teensy-weensy felony.
Anonymous

She learned that from watching Top Cat
sirkowski

The lesson here is: Use cages to trap animals, then get rid of the evidence.

Or better yet, keep your animals on your own property.
- CheshireKitty
  
  The cat WAS on his owner’s property, mate.
  - Felton / Moderator
    
    Maybe sirkowski wasn’t talking about the cat.
  - sirkowski
    
    How naive.
fyngyrz

Proper punishment: Put her in a dumpster (or whatever you want to call it), and once a day, throw in some random garbage, in which she may, or may not, find something to eat. Hopefully in a different corner than the one she chose to relieve herself. But because I’m humanitarian, once a week, dump the bin contents, dispose of everything that isn’t her, throw her in an empty one, and start over. Two months ought to be enough to make the point.

If she re-offends, throw her back in the dumpster, lock it, and go on with your life.

“It’s just a human” — and you know, we have plenty of those.
hbl

Risk of being pedantic, it’s not a felony. Not only does the UK no longer use the term felony/misdemeanor which originated in English common law, it’s not split into indictable and summary offences. The very fact that it’s in a Magistrate Court tell you that it’s a summary offence, one that can be resolved without the need for a judge, three magistrates acting instead. An indictable offence, such as GBH, murder, arson, rape, will bump it straight up to the crown court without need of a magistrates, as it requires a judge.

A magistrate court can refer a case to the Crown Court for sentancing, and is required to do so where a sentance may be longer than six months, or if the defendant pleads not guilty and requires a trial by jury.

My (albeit limited) legal opinion says that there’s no way this lady is going to jail. Community service and a fine.
Baldhead

Just curious, but can someone explain how one cat being dropped into one garbage bin once comes to TWO counts of animal cruelty? I’ve seen this before in other cases and would love to know just how prosecutors go about counting.

Also, since i am a punishment should fit the crime type of guy- drop her in a dumpster for a few days. maybe include food. Don’t let her know how many days, either. Should be sufficient.
princeminski

“He loved Big Brother.”
alphaboy

Mrs Bl, pls tk hrt, y’v dn NTHNG WRNG, t’s nly tht cnsdrbl chnk f scty hs jst lst t. hd
nt rlzd th xtnt f thr flly tll tdy. slly ct mks hdlns, thsnds f dllrs r wstd t cvr th nws, hmn bng s thrtnd nd vlfd. Y s? n tdy’s prvrtd scty s k t ht prsn, bt nlwfl t dslk stpd nml. nmls hv rghts tht r t b phld t ll csts. Nvr mnd th mllns f hmns wh’r sffrng gnmny, ndgnty, bs, bng lft t. t mks my bld bl t thnk f ths nd ‘m gng t kck th hll t f th frst slly ct tht crsss my pth tdy!!
- Brainspore
  
  …in today’s perverted society is ok to hate a person, but unlawful to dislike a stupid animal.
  
  It’s not her dislike for cats that got her arrested, it’s how she decided to act on it. I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to toss people into trash bins against their will too.
chaoskitten

If she isn’t convicted, I wonder if the 4chan contributors will riot? Why can’t we all just get along, people?
- Sagodjur
  
  It’s easier to get along when people aren’t randomly putting other peoples’ cats into bins and leaving them.
Anonymous

Nobody is. Where do you get the idea that she wouldn’t be much, much more hated and penalized if she had thrown away a baby? I don’t know where your bizzare desire to hurt cats comes from, but it’s making you imagine some strange things.