Hamster killed

Mr. Manager

Just saw this in AH - http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0922/breaking35.html

What the hell is wrong with people?!

Just because you have had a drunken row with your girlfriend is no reason to kill an animal. What a horrible thing to do.

For anybody not able to open the link, below is the article:

An unemployed construction worker who microwaved his favourite hamster to death was jailed for nine weeks today.


Anthony Parker (29), of Holyrood Way, Hartlepool, Teesside, was banned from keeping animals for five years by magistrates in the town.
When police came to his home in the early hours of February 23rd, he admitted putting his pet in the cooker after a drunken row with his girlfriend.


The court heard he told officers: “I didn’t mean to kill her. She was the best hamster I ever had. She was called Suzie.”
Parker shook his head as he was led away from the dock at Hartlepool Magistrates’ Court in handcuffs.


Chairman of the bench Barbara Sutherland told him the starting point had been 12 weeks but that was reduced to nine because of his guilty plea.
“You will serve half in prison and the rest on licence,” she told him.
Parker admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a Syrian hamster by microwaving it, resulting in its death.


Neil Taylor, prosecuting, said the animal had been killed in a cruel way.
Parker had been drinking all day and when his girlfriend came home, they rowed.


The defendant told police he had not meant to kill Suzie, but admitted putting her in the cooker.
He said he wanted his lover to see the pet. He later said he had no recollection of events. Officers found the pet in a green wheely bin outside.
“It was clear the hamster died in agony,” Mr Taylor said.
A postmortem examination showed the animal had been exposed to microwave radiation.


Parker initially denied the offence on legal advice because his confession to police was made when he was very drunk, the court heard.
He changed his plea by letter before today’s hearing.


Adrian Morris, defending, said his client had previous convictions for drink-driving and a public order offence which happened six years ago.


There was nothing on his record linked to cruelty, Mr Morris said.
“He effectively comes before this court a man of good character.”
He said the animal's death would have been rapid and the “cruelty and suffering were not prolonged”.


Mr Taylor responded: “This is a man so drunk he puts a hamster into a microwave and kills it.”

EDIT: Apologies if this has been double posted

toadfly

For f**k sake, people still amaze me. Stupid ignorant ass.

I just got a hamster today. He is adorable.

This poor hamster dying like that

anniehoo

*SIGH* i hate people sometimes!

Liber8or

That is disgraceful. Last week the news reported some degenerate scumbag put a banger in a dogs mouth and blew half his jaw off. The dog was still alive but it had to be put down...

If given the chance, I would gladly serve time in prison to return such an atrocious act upon the lowlife who committed this.

Dyr

funny thing is when i'm out with my dogs at this time of year, little pr**ks fire rockets at me and yet if I was to punch the lungs outta one of them I'D be the bad guy! It makes no sense

Zapperzy

Makes me sick to think he only got 9 weeks and only banned for 5 years, only has to serve half of the 9 weeks in prison so technically only 4 and a half weeks for killing another living being. :mad: Drunk or not, somebody who loves their pet doesn't kill it in one of the most agonizing ways possible and then dump the body in a wheelie bin. :mad: And the comment about a man of good character, he has cruelly tortured an animal, has a drink-driving and public order offence and they think they can describe him as of good character, he should be castrated and then thrown in a microwave himself. :mad:

Outkast_IRE

ya to be fair the ability to be cruel on that level to animals often points to more serious issues so this sentence seems bit light to me.