A MAN wept in the dock after being jailed for throwing a cat down a flight of stairs at a home in Fair Oak.
Kyle McGailey, 24, appeared emotional as he was given 20 weeks in prison for the shocking incident in Davidson Drive.
Southampton Magistrates Court heard how McGailey, of Peninsula Road, Winchester, had bought the cat Nala for his partner in April 2022.
But he went on to make threats to throw the animal out the window and kill her.
On June 22, 2022, the woman heard the cat meowing and screeching and found McGailey trying to get her from under the sofa with a baseball bat.
When he eventually got Nala out, he picked her up - at which point, she urinated on the sofa.
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He then “stormed” over to the top of the stairs and threw her over the bannister whilst shouting “why did I get her for you”, the court heard.
Prosecuting, Sarah Wheadon told the court how the animal was left “motionless and floppy” at the bottom of the stairs.
She was found with blood around her right paw and when police and the RSPCA arrived, she was rushed to the vets.
The feline was found to have a fracture to her tooth below the gum line, tissue swelling and a skin tear to her paw.
When interviewed, McGailey said her paw was not like that when he saw her, denying ever harming the animal.
But Ms Wheadon added that his story was not consistent with the RSPCA’s findings.
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Delivering his sentence, District Judge Peter Greenfield said the cat “must have been pretty distressed”.
“Clearly the cat could have been killed. [It was] just unnecessary.”
But mitigating, Will Day said his client accepted the injuries caused to Nala adding that he is “someone that struggled with anger and emotions".
“[He is] very motivated to move forward and not commit further offences”, he said.
Mr Day added that McGailey “lost his temper” but that the cat only had discomfort for “three or four hours” and did not suffer long-lasting injuries.
McGailey admitted one charge of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
Weeping in the dock, he was also given a disqualification order banning him from possessing an animal for life.
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