A man in his 20s who cruelly abused and killed a stray cat by confining it in a safety cone (rubber cone) was given a suspended sentence in the first trial.
On the 17th, Judge Lee Su-ung of the Incheon District Court's Criminal Division 16 announced that A, 22, indicted on charges of violating the Animal Protection Act, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years. The court also ordered 80 hours of community service and 40 hours of lectures on preventing repeat animal abuse.
The judge noted, "The defendant killed a stray cat in a cruel way, and the nature of the crime is very bad." However, the judge explained the sentencing grounds by saying, "Consideration was given to the fact that the defendant admitted wrongdoing and has not received punishment exceeding a fine."
A is accused of capturing a stray cat on a road in Sinheung-dong, Jung District, Incheon, at about 11:53 p.m. on June 27, confining it inside a safety cone, then assaulting it with bare hands and stomping on it multiple times until it died. At the time, A also set fire to the safety cone containing the cat, and it was found that the body was abandoned in a nearby flower bed.
Animal protection groups strongly pushed back against the ruling. Korea Animal Rights Advocates argued that the ruling does not meet the new sentencing guidelines for violations of the Animal Protection Act that have been in effect since July.
The group criticized, saying, "There is no justification or rationale for the court giving a suspended sentence to a defendant for whom a six-month prison term was sought," and "We condemn the court for rendering the hard-won sentencing guidelines meaningless."