Cats killed for use as TV ornaments

Press, 24 September 1988, Page 12

Cats killed for use as TV ornaments

PA Auckland A 54-year-old man was yesterday jailed for six months for slaughtering two cats — which he told police he planned to have stuffed to stand by his television — and a family dog that had dropped hair in the house. Donald George Clark, a Mt Roskill invalid beneficiary, appeared for sentence in the District Court at Auckland on three counts of aggravated cruelty. Clark had earlier admitted killing his wife’s cats on August 10 before gutting the animals and storing them in a freezer. He told police he had intended to take the cats, to a taxidermist and would then place them on either side of the television.

Clark had also admitted strangling his pet retriever with, string on

April 5. He claimed he killed the cats because he and his wife had been advised they were not pernitted to keep pets in their rented home. The dog, he said, had “dropped hair all over the house.” Defence counsel, Mr Paul Trehey, said severe alcoholism had been a feature of Clark’s life for 25 years. He described Clark’s actions towards the cats and dog as bizarre and cruel. “One is driven to the conclusion that this defendant suffers psychiatrically, or if one dismisses that, suffers heavily from alcoholism so that he is unable to act rationally. “This man is viewed as simply sick — sick through alcoholism.” Mr Trehey said Clark’s wife was “pathetically dependent” on him. He submitted that Clark should be spared a prison

sentence for the sake of his wife. “It would be like removing a crutch.” Judge Kerr, in sentencing Clark, described his activity as “extraordinarily callous” and “without any justification.” He added: “I doubt that hny sentence I impose on you would necessarily meet the public outrage.” The Judge said he also had to take into account Clark’s unfortunate state of health brought about by alcoholism. Judge Kerr said he accepted that in all probability the cruelty offences occurred when Clark was “very much under the influence of liquor.” In his view, the appropriate sentence was one of six months’ imprisonment on .each agggravated cruelty charge to be served concurrently. Judge Kerr disqualified Clark from owning or possessing animals.