Man killed cat after two-day marriage (From The Northern Echo)

Man killed cat after two-day marriage

9:01am Tuesday 6th October 2009 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(0)

A MAN whose wife walked out on him after two days of marriage put her pet cat in a cardboard box and kicked it to death, a Court heard yesterday.

Matthew David Cox, 32, of Ashlands Court, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the cat, which was called Lucky, at the town’s magistrates’ court. He admitted placing it in a box and inflicting blunt force trauma.

The court heard that Cox’s wife left after only 48 hours of marriage in September last year and that he had cared for Lucky, a brown and white cat, and several other cats until January.

However, after becoming angry with his wife, he placed Lucky in a cardboard box, sellotaped it and then twice kicked the box, some time between January 16 and 23.

The cat died shortly afterwards and Cox photographed the animal’s body and showed it to his wife to upset her.

She was able to send a copy to her own phone, which she then took to the police and the RSPCA, on January 24.

Cox had initially pleaded not guilty to the offence and had claimed another person was involved in the attack on the cat, but he changed his plea to guilty and accepted sole responsibility yesterday.

Peter Furness, mitigating, told the court Mr Cox has severe learning difficulties and has also been dealing with other psychiatric problems.

Magistrates adjourned sentencing on Cox until November 2 to allow a full report to be carried out to establish if he is fit to be sentenced to unpaid work in the community.

Cox was warned the severity of the crime, and the fact it was a premeditated attack and he took photos, meant that prison was still an option.

However, magistrates indicated that they were more likely to consider community punishment and unpaid work.

Cox was released on unconditional bail.