Mary Bale pleads guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal after dumping Lola the cat in a wheelie bin

A woman who was caught on security camera dumping a cat into its owners' wheelie bin has been fined £250 after pleading guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the animal.

Mary Bale, a former bank worker from Coventry, became an international hate figure in August after CCTV footage emerged of her stroking the four-year-old tabby before picking it up by the scruff of its neck and dropping it into the bin.

Bale, 45, was charged last month with two offences under the 2006 Animal Welfare Act, for causing unnecessary suffering and for failing to provide the cat with a suitable environment.

Appearing at Coventry magistrates court this morning, she admitted the first charge. The second charge was dropped.

Bale, who appeared close to tears, was ordered to pay a fine of £250 plus a £15 victim surcharge and costs of £1,171. She was banned from keeping or owning animals for the next five years.

The district judge Caroline Goulborn told Bale the potential to have caused harm to the cat was substantial, but in reality it had not been hurt.

"The media interest in this case has resulted in you being vilified in some quarters and I have taken that into account," Goulborn said.

The court heard that Bale's elderly father had been gravely ill at the time. Goulborn added: "I accept that you were in a stressful situation at the time, but that's no excuse for what you did."

The cat was trapped in the bin for approximately 15 hours before her owners heard her cries. They posted video footage of the incident on Facebook and YouTube in an attempt to trace the culprit, and Bale was interviewed by the RSPCA at the end of August.

Today the RSPCA said the sentence should deter others from abusing animals.

"This was a deliberate act and could have had far worse consequences as the defendant had no way of knowing if there was anything like broken glass in the bin, nor how long the cat would be there before she was found, nor if the bin was due to be emptied," said Nicola Foster, an RSPCA inspector.

"We are pleased that the court agreed that a complete disregard was shown for the cat's welfare and that the cat suffered as a result of being stuck inside the bin for so many hours. However, we hope that this sentence will act as a deterrent to anyone who feels that it is acceptable to mistreat animals in any way."

The maximum penalty under the Animal Welfare Act is a £20,000 fine and/or six months in prison.