Belfast Woman Convicted Of Animal Cruelty

Belfast City Council has welcomed the conviction of a woman for causing unnecessary suffering to a cat. In June this year, the council received complaints that a cat had been left at the property unattended for a number of days. Animal Welfare Officers entered the property under warrant and seized an underweight cat which had been unattended for a period of at least 72 hours without proper access to food and water. Council Officers removed the cat from the premises for examination by a veterinarian who determined that the cat suffered from malnutrition.

At Belfast Magistrates Court yesterday, 06 August, 34-year-old Toni O'Neill of Strathroy Park, Belfast was handed a four month prison sentence suspended for one year for failing to ensure the welfare of the cat under section 4 of the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011. She was also ordered to pay legal and other costs totalling £181 and disqualified from owning animals for a period of two years.