Woman who put cat in bin is fined

The woman who made headlines around the world in August when CCTV footage emerged of her dumping a cat in a wheelie bin has been fined £250 after pleading guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the animal.

Mary Bale, 45, admitted the charge at Coventry magistrates' court yesterday. The court heard that Bale was walking from her mother's home when she started to stroke the cat before "scruffing" it and depositing it in the bin.

She was fined £250 plus a £15 victim surcharge and costs of £1,171. She was also banned from keeping animals for five years.

District Judge Caroline Goulborn said there had been the potential for substantial harm to the cat but it had not been hurt. The judge added: "The media interest in this case has resulted in you being vilified ... and I have taken that into account."