CONVICTED (2015) | Sarah Jane Reeves, born 23/11/1995, of Frobisher Drive, Swindon SN3 3HB – owner of a kitten that was beaten and starved to near death
Reeves owned a six-month-old kitten. Tilly, who was starved to a third of her body weight and beaten at a home in Haydon Wick
Tilly was ‘clearly dying’ when the RSPCA were called to a property in Speedwell Close and found her under a blanket on the sofa, cold to the touch.
The authorities were only alerted after Reeves discovered a friend had been filmed throwing the tiny cat against the walls of her home.
Despite being rushed to a nearby vet, Tilly was beyond help and had to be euthanised on humane grounds.
Tanya Jones, prosecuting, told the court: “RSPCA inspector Miranda Albinson was informed a cat at an address in Swindon had allegedly been beaten two days previously.
“She was told that there was video footage of the incident.
“She could see the cat was emaciated and looked skeletal.
“Her ribs and hip bones were protruding, and the cat was clearly dying.
“The surgeon would have expected a cat that age to weigh about two to three kilogrammes, and in his opinion, it is not something we would expect to happen over a few days.”
Terry McCarthy, defending Reeves, said much of the punishment meted out to the kitten was not her fault.
An identified 16-year-old youth was tried separately for his role in Tilly’s suffering and given a community order and 10-year ban on keeping animals.
Sentence: community order for 12 months, with six months’ supervision and 100 hours of unpaid work; £500 in courts costs and £60 victim surcharge. Banned from keeping any animals for 10 years (expires April 2025).