A guy was not sentenced to prison despite admitting to poisoning his neighbors’ animals.
Tristian Paul Pearson, 44, of Bargoed, south Wales, was sentenced to an eight-month suspended sentence for deliberately killing his neighbors’ cats Luna and Bailey by coaxing them into swallowing the deadly toxin ethylene glycol.
Luna and Bailey died soon after the poisonings in early September 2021, when they came home looking extremely ill within a week of her other.
Both cats were weak and unstable on their legs, with male Persian Bailey dying before being seen by a veterinarian.
Luna, who was subsequently diagnosed with renal failure, had to be put to die by a veterinarian to end her misery.
Cardiff Crown Court heard on Friday how the deaths of the cats had devastated their owners, a father and daughter who lived in two different properties close Pearson’s home. The couple started examining their neighbors’ gardens for information regarding their animals’ diseases.
When they glanced into Pearson’s back yard, they saw two pots, one containing a vivid blue liquid and the other seeming to contain tuna.
The pots were taken to the RSPCA, where it was discovered that both had a high proportion of ethylene glycol, an extremely poisonous chemical for cats.
An expert veterinary witness assessment found that the pots were “extremely likely” the source of the ethylene glycol that killed Luna and Bailey.
The symptoms of ethylene glycol poisoning lead a cat to suffer through the mechanism of dehydration, with subsequent headaches, nausea, disorientation, weakness, and collapse, according to a vet statement.
Pearson pled guilty to inflicting needless suffering to protected animals and was sentenced to eight months in jail, suspended for 18 months.
He was sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid labor and barred from owning any animals for the next five years, a prohibition he cannot challenge for at least four years.
In addition, he was sentenced to pay £2,000 in expenses.
‘These unfortunate cats were purposefully lured into eating a material that is highly toxic for cats and eventually proved deadly to them both,’ said RSPCA inspector Simon Evans, who examined the case.
The defendant acknowledged in court that he caused the two plates discovered in his yard to have a high quantity of the harmful chemical, causing people to suffer needlessly.
‘We hope that this tragic, historic case sends a clear message to anybody considering targeting cats in this manner that it is immoral, unlawful, and will not be tolerated.’
According to the RSPCA, this is the first case to be submitted to a Crown Court since the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 went into effect last year.
The maximum punishment that may be imposed on offenders was raised from six months to five years under the Act.
‘This example reminds us that pet poisonings do occur,’ Mr Evans said.
‘Anyone concerned that their cat has been poisoned should attempt to stay calm, transfer the cat away from the source, and call a veterinarian immediately.’