CONVICTED (2017) | Stephen Welch, born 11/01/1958, of Wimpole House, Snowshill Close, Daventry NN11 8AH – killed neighbour’s pet cat after leaving cat food laced with antifreeze in his front garden
Welch pleaded guilty to leaving out the antifreeze, under section 7 of the Animal Welfare Act, in a case brought by the RSPCA.
The court heard that he put a bowl of cat food diluted with antifreeze beneath his car on 27 September 2016, after a neighbour’s cat injured a bird in his front garden
Four-year-old Charlie ate the food and became ill. He was put to sleep the following day to end his suffering.
RSPCA inspector Susan Haywood said: “Welch admitted to putting the antifreeze down as he wanted to scare the cat away from his front garden, where he regularly fed wild birds. He said that he didn’t intend for Charlie to die, however very sadly antifreeze is extremely toxic and can cause kidney failure and death.
“When Charlie returned home he was struggling to walk and was crying. His owners took him to a vets, where sadly he deteriorated and was put to sleep later that day. Tests confirmed that he had ingested antifreeze.
“Charlie would have been in considerable pain in his last few hours as a result of this. It is extremely important for us to get the message out there that antifreeze is a very toxic substance which can cause unnecessary suffering to animals if it is ingested.”
Sentencing: total of £1,120 costs and charges. No ban.