Bank worker who dumped cat in wheelie bin 'signed off work for weeks suffering from stress'

'Stressed': Mary Bale has been signed off from work at the Royal Bank of Scotland after dumping a cat in a wheelie bin

Shamed 'cat dumper' Mary Bale has been signed off work with stress following the worldwide furore over her wheelie bin scandal, it emerged today.

The bank clerk became a hate figure when CCTV footage showed her dropping four-year-old Lola into a bin 'as a joke'.

She has now been signed off work at the Royal Bank of Scotland on full pay for at least three weeks.

Bank chiefs have come under increasing pressure to sack the 45-year-old after customers threatened to boycott the branch in Rugby.

A source at the bank said: 'She has been under increasing stress from work and has signed off sick.

'She has a doctor's note saying she is not fit to work at the moment because she is too stressed.

'Bosses do not expect her back into work for at least two or three weeks.'



Unmarried Miss Bale, from Coventry, could also face prosecution by the RSPCA after the tabby cat was trapped in the bin for 15 hours.

After the incident, Miss Bale was led away by police to be interviewed by RSPCA officers.

However, a spokesman said the decision to prosecute Miss Bale 'could take quite a while' as 'we want to do a thorough investigation'.

Lola's owners Stephanie and Darryl Andrews-Mann said they are outraged at Miss Bale's stress claims.

Mrs Andrews-Mann, 24, said: 'It's outrageous, it can't be right - she's living it up at home on full pay while Lola is still traumatised.

'Lola's getting back to normal steadily but she's still got a long way to go. She is still very wary about strangers.

Miss Bale seems harmless as she strokes four-year-old cat, Lola, as it walks along a wall on a street in Coventry. But she then grabs it by the scruff of its neck, puts it in the bin and casually walks away

Complaints: Bosses at RBS in Rugby have signed Mary Bale off for three weeks

'I can't believe this woman is claiming sick pay and having medical treatment for stress.

'It's Lola who is the victim here, not Mary Bale.

'She [Bale] might have got out of work but hopefully she won't get away from the RSPCA. The case is in their hands but we really hope they prosecute.'



Miss Bale yesterday refused to comment on her sick leave.

Animal lovers around the world expressed fury as footage of her dumping Lola in the bin emerged.

A Facebook group calling for her to be killed was also taken down as officers investigate the threats.

A spokesman for RBS said: 'We have no comment to make on this matter at this time.'



