Colin Sherlock put Roxy the cat in microwave, tumble drier and then freezer after drinking session, court hears

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

A man was jailed for four months today after torturing a cat by putting it in a microwave, a tumble drier and a freezer.

Colin Sherlock, who had been drinking, laughed as a friend filmed him on a mobile phone picking up the young cat, called Roxy, and putting her in each of the appliances in turn.

He started by placing the cat into the microwave and turned it on for eight seconds. Roxy spent seven seconds in the tumble drier, and was then put in a freezer for 20 seconds before being taken out and dunked into a bowl of washing up water.

The cruelty came to light because the footage was sent to friends and one recipient was so shocked she took it to the police.

Sherlock, 44, of Teignmouth, Devon, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a cat and was jailed for 126 days at Torquay magistrates court.

Magistrate Marigold Seager-Berry told him: "The offence is so serious that only custody is justified because of the high level of cruelty imposed on the cat. It caused serious harm and torture to a domestic cat, causing it lasting mental trauma."

John Wyatt, prosecuting, said Roxy had been too cold to run away when she was taken out of the freezer. The animal, which belonged to one of Sherlock's relatives, is now "extremely nervous" having suffered "serious mental trauma".

Wyatt added: "Sherlock was interviewed and admitted responsibility but said he could not explain his behaviour other than to say he had been drinking."

Alisdair James, defending, said Sherlock was "gutted" by what he had done.

Jim Farr, an RSPCA inspector, said: "I am pleased with the sentence. It sends out a clear message that anyone who carries out acts of cruelty will face justice.

"Roxy is now in foster care because of the after effects of this trauma and she is not yet ready to be rehomed. She is progressing well but there may be long term effects of being put into the microwave."

The case has echoes of "cat bin woman" Mary Bale. She was given a £250 fine last month for seizing a cat and dropping it into a wheelie bin in Coventry.

Bale, a 45-year-old former bank worker, became reviled around the world, receiving abusive phone calls and death threats from as far afield as Australia, after what she described as a "split second of misjudgment" – which was captured on CCTV and uploaded to YouTube.