Man pleads guilty to luring cats with treats and then killing them
When police arrested Okamura Satoshi he was found with cat treats and wet food in his pocket
A 31-year-old man has pleaded guilty to luring cats in Sliema to attack and killing them.
Okamura Satoshi, a Sliema resident who works in iGaming, pleaded guilty to charges related to harming and killing animals, as well as causing animals to suffer from unnecessary pain and suffering.
The Japanese national was also charged with slightly injuring two police officers.
Satoshi was apprehended on Sliema's Manuel Dimech Street on Friday around 3am, when police intercepted him with a pair of latex gloves similar to those allegedly used in previous killings and packets of cat food.
Last month, a member of the Facebook group ‘Malta Pet Adoption Group’ reported that five stray cats had been found in Sliema dead or injured, and mutilated.
One cat was found with its tail cut off, while another had part of its tongue missing.
CCTV footage obtained by Times of Malta last month showed a man violently slamming a cat to the ground in Sliema in the early hours of the morning. The cat, affectionately known by neighbours as Pupa, was found dead on that spot the following morning.
In court on Saturday, Satoshi appeared in a blue top and green kakhi pants. Present in the courtroom were cat feeders who followed the case, some dressed in black.
Police inspector Elliot Magro explained how, following reports of a spate of shocking attacks on cats in Sliema, police patrols were sent out to search the area.
Inspector Jeffrey Scicluna Briffa said that with footage obtained between July 19 and 20, the police were able to conclude that the suspect was a Sliema resident and resided close to where the attacks were happening.
Various patrols were carried out in the following weeks, and Briffa explained how, on Friday morning, Satoshi was stopped by two police officers.
He was found with a pair of latex gloves similar to those used in a cat killing on May 26.
The police also found cat treats and wet food in his left pocket. Satoshi was remanded in custody.
Briffa said CCTV footage on June 11 showed the suspect killing a cat and then reaching out for treats in his pocket to lure another cat to attack it. That night, he did not succeed in killing the second cat, but the same cat was found dead two days later.
Briffa explained how Satoshi resisted his arrest, resulting in slightly harming the two police officers. Following that, he was forced into the police patrol car to be taken to his home for a search.
Police searched his apartment, where several laptops and mobile phones were taken. Police also found all the outfits worn by the suspect shown in the CCTV footage.
Legal aid lawyer Yanica Barbara Sant said the arrest was not being contested and that her client pleaded guilty to the charges.
The court decided to carry out a pre-sentencing report to evaluate the ideal punishment.
The court was adjourned until September 15.
Magistrate Nadine Sant Lia presided. Police inspectors Jeffrey Scicluna Briffa and Elliot Magro prosecuted. Legal aid lawyer Yanica Barbara Sant assisted the accused.