A “CALLOUS” Fishponds teenager who threw a cat from a balcony in a video posted on Snapchat has been banned from keeping animals for seven years.
Callum James Dean Palmer has also been told to pay £500 costs and carry out a 12 month community order, including wearing an “alcohol abstinence tag” for two months, after admitting an animal welfare offenceat Bristol Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
The 11-second video clip, which was taken by one of his friends during a drinking session, showed Palmer, aged 19,on the outdoor balcony of a flat in Kingswood, where the black and white cat was sitting.
He was filmed leaning down to stroke the cat (circled in red in the still pictures, above), which rolled onto its back.
Palmer, of Hinton Road, then crouched down and said “I love cats” – before grabbing the animal by its tail and flinging it over the balcony and into the air.
The cat could be seen rotating several times in the air, before being heard landingabout two seconds later on a shed about20ft from the balcony, which had sharp nails sticking out of the roof.
The video was posted on social media by one of Palmer’s friends and reported to the RSPCA. Inspector Kim Walters began an investigation for the animal welfare charity, to identify the person and cat in the clip.
After Palmer was identified he was interviewed, and confirmed where the offence took place.
Inspector Walters visited the address and located the shed.
She also tracked down the cat, named Apollo, which lived on the same street.
His owner had been unaware of what happened, and agreed to let a vet examine him to ensure he had not been injured.
The vet made a report that said: “In my opinion the cat in the video suffered sudden, intense and severe fear, anxiety and pain. This suffering was avoidable and unnecessary.
“It is not possible to say how long after the incident the cat continued to suffer, as the extent of the injuries sustained at the time are unknown.
“The cat is likely to have suffered from bruising for at least two to three days after the event. Depending on what injuries were sustained this suffering could have been a number of weeks.
“The perpetrator had a callous disregard for the cat’s well-being.
“The incident appears to have occurred purely for entertainment.
“Having inflicted violent trauma upon the cat I have seen no evidence to suggest that the perpetrator did anything to assist the cat, despite knowing that it was likely to be injured.”
The RSPCA said Palmer had told the court he was remorseful, had not drunk spirits since the incident, and no longer hangs around with the same group of friends.
Palmer cannot appeal the ban for the first five years it is in force.
The abstinence or sobriety tag monitors an offender’s sweat around-the-clock to check whether they have consumed alcohol.
If they are found to have breached their alcohol abstinence order, they can be sent back to court for further punishment, ranging from a fine to prison.
Insp Walters added: “Animals feel pain and distress just like we do, and always deserve to be shown kindness and compassion.”