Canadian Cat-Torturers Escape Jail, Activists Fume

Reuters/Yahoo ^ | Fri Apr 19, 2:11 PM ET | By Natalie Jikerjian

[Terriergal]

Canadian Cat-Torturers Escape Jail, Activists Fume
Fri Apr 19, 2:11 PM ET

By Natalie Jikerjian

TORONTO (Reuters) - Two Canadians who skinned a cat alive, and video-taped their venture claiming it was a performance art project, were sentenced to jail on Thursday, but one will serve his sentence at weekends, while the second walked free because of time served during the trial.

In comments and sentences that infuriated animal rights activists, Ontario Court Judge Ted Ormston ignored the prosecution's plea to jail the two for the maximum of 2-1/2 years.

The crime was "not the worst offense possible," he said. "There are worse ways that this cat could have died."

Jesse Power, 22, and Anthony Wennekers, 25, both from Toronto, had pleaded guilty to charges including cruelty to animals.

They filmed the cat as they tempted it with a mouse, then skinned and decapitated and disemboweled it, and left its body dangling from a coat hanger.

The 10-minute video, shown twice during the court proceedings, sickened spectators as they listened to the cat's increasingly weak and plaintive meows.

"This cat absolutely suffered and the videotape of its torture and ultimate death was one of the most upsetting things I've seen," said Amy White, director of communications for the Toronto Humane Society.

"I am extremely upset that the punishment for Jesse Power and Anthony Wennekers does not equal the severity of this horrific crime."

Power, a vegetarian and a student at the Ontario College of Art and Design, had said the video was an artistic statement about the suffering of animals used for meat, according to newspaper reports.

Judge Ormston sentenced Power to 90 days in jail, to be served over 16 weekends, followed by an 18-month conditional sentence. Wennekers was given time served because he had remained in jail since his arrest last May.

The two men also received three years probation each.

Police have not yet found a third person who appeared in the video, identified only as Matt. Flyers circulated in Toronto and at the courthouse urged the public to help find him and bring him to justice.

Canada's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was incensed at Thursday's sentences.

"Killing any animal in the name of art is deplorable and unacceptable," said the society's chairwoman, Vicky Earle. "There is no excuse for such cruel and criminal acts. Individuals such as these should never be allowed to possess or have contact with animals again."

[Terriergal]

This makes me nauseated even to read closely. But it says they WERE trying to make a statement about the cruelty of the meat industry... ???? Talk about the level of cognitive dissonance in that vegan/animal rights movement. I can hardly even believe they would stoop this low. It really drives home to me that they really *don't* care about animals, but more about power and shock value and being in society's face.

[Terriergal]

ping for a dose of the animal rights wacko's TRUE colors.

[Chad Fairbanks]

The crime was "not the worst offense possible," he said. "There are worse ways that this cat could have died."

Apparently, there IS more than one way to skin a cat... uh-oh, my kitty is looking at me in that way... no, I was kidding, Panda... no not the claws no... I was.... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!! Ow! Ouch! Oh! Youch! Stop! I was kidd....

[Free Trapper]

I was finished reading the article when you pinged me.I didn't know what to say.

Twisted-Sickening.

[NYCVirago]

Power, a vegetarian and a student at the Ontario College of Art and Design, had said the video was an artistic statement about the suffering of animals used for meat, according to newspaper reports.

Are there a lot of Canadians eating cats? I didn't think so.

[Free Trapper]

Get him,Kitty,he deserves it.Go in low.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Nah, she called in the Emergency Back-up Kitties: Boo-Boo, Turk, and Cuddles... Luckily, I have this nice can of tuna - they know who their "Daddy" is...

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

Amazing that anyone could be so cruel.........I hope they each enjoyed a cell with an avowed cat lover - a really big, mean, horny CAT LOVER..........

[Gun142]

It really drives home to me that they really *don't* care about animals, but more about power and shock value and being in society's face.

Couldn't have said it better.

BUMP

[Chad Fairbanks]

Don't worry - there is a special place in Hell for people like that...

[Ditter]

I didn't know where the ship was from. Maybe thats why the dog was on the ship in the first place. The pup lucked out.

[Ditter]

Sorry I answered to the wrong thread.

[etcetera]

Somebody ought to skin the judge...

[Free Trapper]

I hope you're right about that special place.This kind of thing really gets to me.

Are you safe with that many cats?I only trust one at a time at my place.Remember,they like red meat.;o)

[Marlin4570]

HSUS has been doing this type of thing for years.Every time there is a Ballot initiative to get Animal Abuse as a felony there is a sudden rash of tortured cats found. Last election year there were 4 cats burned (All Black) in four states where initiatives were on the ballot and activists were investigated in all cases. These people are nuts and it has never been about animals, its about power and control.

[thrcanbonly1]

And they know who thier "staff" is. LOL

[Abundy]

My heart goes out to the cat...(can't believe I just posted that about, gasp, a cat.)

OTOH...maybe we should brand ALL animal rights fruitcakes as cat-torturing, law-breaking statists that will not think twice about torturing a poor, defenseless animal to get their legislation passed...."if it saves just one feline then it's ok to kill this cat."

Of course not all animal rights idiots would stoop to torturing animals to get their way, would they? So no, I won't brand ALL (or the majority) of animal rights wingnuts based on this story....

[Abundy]

Re: #18...do you think she'll get the point of my post?

Nawwww...her mind is to closed to reality to see my point.

[RichInOC]

Worse ways for a cat to die? Worse than skinning it alive, cutting its head off and its guts out? Can't think of any right now. Speaking as a dog lover myself, stories like this make me wish that the law allowed for punishment in kind.