The Cat in the Wheelie Bin

Poor Thing

And the Police say she's done nothing illegal ?  Surely that cant be right ? The cat was stuck in there for 15 hours. 

And anyway - I thought cats were meant to be in the brown bin ?

We just talked about that in the office.  I was surprised the police said it wasn't a crime.  Perhaps because at that stage the cat hadn't come to any harm, whereas had it been found dead maybe it would have been a crime?

There seems to be a fine line with certain categories of crime.  The other week I woke up to 4 flat tyres.  I reported it but at that stage hadn't checked whether the air had been let out of the tyres had been slashed.  I was told by some call centre police person that if the air has been let out by someone and they can be pumped up again then it's "no harm done" and not a crime, whereas if they are slashed it's criminal damage.  As it happened they had all been darted so police eventually took a report, but some scrote can go round letting the air out of people's tyres over night and apparently that's not a crime...

She definitely has done something illegal... I pinched this from elsewhere so can't calim research kudos but...

The cat is an animal sufficiently reduced into domestication and has a value. Also under ANIMALS PROTECTION ACT NO. 71 OF 1962
"animals" means any equine, bovine, sheep, goat, pig, fowl, ostrich, dog, cat, or other domestic animal or bird, or any wild animal, wild animal, wild bird or reptile which is in captivity or under control of any person. and
(1) Any person who:

(a )..., ill-treats, .... or terrifies any animal; or

(b) confines, ....any animal unnecessarily or under such conditions or in such a manner ...as to cause that animal unnecessary suffering or in any place which affords inadequate space, ventilation, light protection or shelter from heat, cold or weather; or

(c) unnecessarily starves or under-feeds or denies water or food to any animal;

So Coventry police can take their pick from that lot.... 15 hours in a wheelie bin on a hot day with no food or water and only being rescued on chance, surely constitutes animal cruely in anyone's book.

It's probably easier for the police to claim no law exists than to go and look it up !

Juliefrazz, sorry to disappoint, but the law you are quoting is South African- so not applicable.

FerrousFerret wrote (see)

Juliefrazz, sorry to disappoint, but the law you are quoting is South African- so not applicable.

Damn, that will teach me to trust an unknown source!

But there is a UK animal welfare act, isn't there? I'm sure it was brought in / tightened up just a couple of years ago and gave greater powers to presecute for aminal cruelty.

*off to google* 

Assuming this is our equivalent?

http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/welfare/act/index.htm

The good thing about this is that she will probably suffer more from having her picture all over the internet.............she looks like she is an everyday middle age woman.............can you imagine the hassle she will get from workmates and friends and neighbours...............so glad that he had footage......I bet she doesn't want to face the public...............better than any fine they might impose.

glad the cats ok

Found it... Linky

Unfurtunately it seems to be more aimed at owners and an animal's on-going care, rather than single mindless acts of cruelty. So perhaps the police are right

Unnecessary suffering E+W<a id="section-4-1"></a>

(1)A person commits an offence if—

(a)an act of his, or a failure of his to act, causes an animal to suffer,
(b)he knew, or ought reasonably to have known, that the act, or failure to act, would have that effect or be likely to do so,
(c)the animal is a protected animal, and
(d)the suffering is unnecessary.

Putting a living animal in a bin seems pretty "unnnecessary"? 

Yes, that's what I was trying to find, Nam, I was sure I'd seen something along those line before.

She "ought reasonably to have known"  that the poor little thing could've been killed by having a huge load of rubbish dumped on it, never to have been heard from again.  Book her!

Bitch.

I saw this too.

It was on Daily Mail

Shocking. What a sick, twisted world we live in.

Timeout wrote (see)

But is a cat a protected animal?