Man who killed cats in Sliema imprisoned for two years, fined €15,000
He was also banned from keeping animals or residing where animals are kept for 40 years
Updated 11.25am
A man who admitted to killing cats in Sliema has been sentenced to two years and fined €15,000.
He was also banned from keeping animals or residing where animals are kept for 40 years.
Okamura Satoshi appeared in court on Thursday morning.
The judgment was handed afresh after the Court of Criminal Appeal annulled a previous sentence of two years’ imprisonment and banned the defendant from owning animals for 40 years after admitting to killing animals and causing them to suffer unnecessary pain.
He also admitted to slightly injuring two police officers.
The judgment was successfully appealed by the defence after the Court of Criminal Appeal annulled the sentence since the Magistrates' Court failed to make a specific reference to the article which created the offence in terms of which the accused was found guilty.
In January, the case was re-assigned to Magistrate Kevan Azzopardi to hear the final submissions and deliver judgment.
On Thursday morning, Magistrate Azzopardi read out excerpts of the judgment, noting what led to the first judgment and subsequent annullment by the Court of Criminal Appeal.
In its considerations on punishment, the court considered the man’s criminal record, his early admission, the circumstances of the case and the gravity of the offences.
It then considered the submissions made by the parties on punishment, saying that it was not bound by either suggestion, and that the punishment awarded should be within the parameters of the law, reflecting the circumstances of the accused, and balancing the various interests involved.
The court held that, despite Satoshi having no previous criminal convictions and the man’s early guilty plea, the accused must bear the consequences of his actions and the punishment must reflect the actions that led to these criminal proceedings, with the court highlighting that Satoshi’s actions were “his own”.
The court held that one cannot expect it to be “lenient” on the basis of registering an early guilty plea, as it cited jurisprudence on the matter, which differentiates between an early guilty plea in a weak case and a guilty plea in a strong case.
In this case, there was CCTV footage which was shown to Satoshi during his interrogation, and he held that in this case, while the accused should benefit from a reduction, it should not be that of one third.
After examining the records of the case, the court expressed its “extreme” concern about the motive which led to the crimes the accused pleaded guilty to. It referred to Satoshi’s interrogation when he said that he would treat a cat violently if it did not appreciate his kindness.
However, CCTV footage caught Satoshi treating a sleeping cat violently.
It also expressed concerns about Satoshi’s statement, wherein he likened cats to women and said that “women only appreciated a man’s kindness when he had money”.
The court observed that these thoughts were externalised on vulnerable creatures and ruled that the man should get effective imprisonment, highlighting that society needs to be protected from such traits.
“The court is of the opinion that what the accused did deserves to be dealt with harshly, and therefore the appropriate punishment inflicted upon the accused should not be one close to the minimum,” the magistrate said, jailing the man for two years.
The time Satoshi spent under arrest in connection with the case will be deducted from the jail time.
It also fined him €15,000, payable in €1,000 monthly instalments. If a payment is missed, the full outstanding amount shall become due and payable immediately or converted into imprisonment.
The court banned Satoshi from keeping animals or residing in places where animals are kept for a period of 40 years.
A three-year restraining order was issued in favour of the two police constables who were injured during his arrest.
The court also issued an 18-month treatment order.
After the judgment was read out, Satoshi gave notice of appeal.
Magistrate Kevan Azzopardi presided.
Police inspector Elliot Magro prosecuted.