CONVICTED (2022) | Artur Zakowicz, born c. 1976, of Brook Street, Chester CH1 – caught on CCTV repeatedly slapping his pet cat.
The upsetting footage showed Polish national Zakowicz grabbin/img the black and white cat named Bashik by his skin and slapping him violently six times with his hand while pushing him to the ground.
He then picked up the cat roughly by the skin on his back, before the feline managed to escape.
The horrific act of mindless cruelty took place on March 24, 2022, in Charles Street, Chester, near to the defendant’s home.
Zakowicz was tracked down and the RSPCA and Cheshire Police attended his property on April 16.
When Bashik was examined later that day at RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital, there were no apparent injuries from the attack.
A vet said any soft tissue damage may have healed in the time that had elapsed between the incident and the medical. After viewing the attack, the vet concluded that Bashik would have been “in pain for a period of several hours, possibly longer”.
Zakowicz pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a cat under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Bashik has been taken into the care of the RSPCA, along with Zakowicz’s other cat Kalpik, and the animal charity will rehome them.
Sentencing | 12-month community order with 15 days of rehabilitation activity and 200 hours of unpaid work; £614 in costs and victim surcharge. Banned from keeping animals for five years (expires October 2027).