Andrew Shephard was supposed to be helping his daughter find new homes for the three young cats when he tipped them from a box into the water from a bridge
A father who, in a drunken state, flung his daughter’s pet kittens into a river whilst bellowing “let them die”, has managed to dodge a jail term.
Andrew Shephard was tasked with finding new homes for the three kittens when he shockingly dumped them into the water from a bridge in south-west London last November. As he committed the act, witnesses heard him shouting “let them die” and “I want them to die”, Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court was told on Tuesday (February 17).
The court heard that the 59-year-old, who had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, claimed he didn’t know “what came over me”. During the sentencing hearing, prosecutor Manisha Kukadia told the court that police were called following “reports of a male throwing cats into the River Thames”.
Bystanders witnessed the incident and heard Shephard utter “I want them to die, let them die”. Of the three kittens, one was saved before it hit the water, whilst the other two were found by police officers, “wet and muddy” but alive.
Both kittens were reportedly “in shock” and their body temperature had dropped below 33C, reports the Mirror.
The court was told the kittens were owned by Shephard’s daughter, who had trusted her father to help rehome them. Ms Kukadia revealed the defendant’s daughter was “not aware” of his conduct regarding the bridge incident.
After the event, Shephard gave police a statement expressing that “he felt bad about the situation” and had shown “remorse”.
He admitted being “very drunk at the time” and battling alcohol dependency, noting his daughter could “no longer keep” the kittens.
The prosecutor explained: “There was a clear intention for the kittens to be killed so it’s extreme and deliberate in nature. The aggravating factor… is the fact that there was use of alcohol at the time – he did say he was intoxicated.”
The defendant, representing himself before the bench, addressed magistrates: “I feel bad for what I done. I’m not normally like that. I just don’t know what came over me at the time. I was incapacitated by alcohol.”
Addressing the defendant, magistrate Elizabeth Evans JP observed: “We have listened carefully to what you told us, we have listened carefully to the background of this case which is very unpleasant.
“It’s quite clear that this crosses the custody threshold – it’s serious enough in sentencing terms to justify a prison sentence.”
Ms Evans made clear, however, that his sentence would be suspended, observing that the probation service believes the defendant has a “good chance of rehabilitation”. Shephard, of no fixed abode, was handed a 17-week prison term, suspended for 18 months.
He must also complete 30 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days, pay a £154 surcharge, and pay £85 costs.