Posted on 07/01/2009 7:11:49 PM PDT by Chet 99
BOSTON -- The beating death of a cat in front of shocked children prompted protests Sunday in Worcester.
A group of people gathered in front of the city police department, demanding police put Tom Foley behind bars.
Foley admittedly beat a cat named Lily to death in front of several children on Friday.
The owner, Lisa Tuttle, said her cat Lily had just given birth to a litter of kittens and may have been feeling territorial when she charged Foley's dog and scratched Foley several days earlier on Dupuis Avenue.
"I just came out. I saw the cat in a pool of blood, my daughter screaming," neighbor Lisa Tuttle said. Witnesses said at least one adult and four horrified children saw Foley beat the cat to death with a stick.
[Lisa Tuttle, cat's owner] Lisa Tuttle, cat's owner More "I think it's an awful crime that he did it in front of kids. I think it shows his lack of humanity. I think that these kids are going to be traumatized," protest organizer Jaqueline Corliss said.
Foley, of Stoneham Road in Worcester, claimed he was defending himself from the seven-pound cat.
He has not been charged.
The College of Holy Cross put Foley on paid leave from his job as a public safety officer.
The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals law enforcement department is actively investigating the incident and asked any witnesses to any animal cruelty to contact them directly at: 617-522-6008 or 800-628-5808.
Animal cruelty is a felony in Massachusetts punishable by a fine up to $2,500 and up to five years in prison.
5 years in prison for animal cruelty? sheesh.
Too bad the cat didn’t scratch his eyes out before he could cruelly beat it to death. Charged his dog! What are we talking about here, a toy chihuahua?
It’s nice to see you are expanding your horizons..
I hope foleys dog was not a pitbull..
Ooooooh,it was a 7 lb cat attacking him?
Silly me,I thought it might be a small cat.
> 5 years in prison for animal cruelty? sheesh.
Ought to be 10 with no parole.
Here in NZ a judge handed out a record sentence of 12 months for animal cruelty. What a joke.
You’re crazy. It’s an animal, not a human.
If the cat scratched him they he was where he shouldn’t have been. All he had to do was walk away. Charged his dog? LOL gimme a break. I think he should pay a fine and do hours and hours of community service cleaning litter boxes. Anyone who would beat a cat to death over being scratched and/or it “charging” his dog, has something very very wrong with them.
Animal cruelty is a felony in Massachusetts punishable by a fine up to $2,500 and up to five years in prison
While this guy is going to jail, repeat offenders gets bailed for murder-sometimes with less than 3 years of jail time. Sad.
What a pussy....(Foley.)
The putz reportedly CAME BACK LATER after the scratching to clobber the cat to death. Now the putz is complaining the cat’s owner tried to run him over with her car. This could get interesting. I say sic every critter in the neighborhood on him.
Ping
Beating a cat to death may not quite rank up there with raping a child, but you can bet his cellmates will view it as a shameful, cowardly act.
And doing it in front of kids? What sentence does that merit?
I usually think shrinks are nuts themselves, but one thing that can't be argued is that sociopaths harm animals.
> Youre crazy. Its an animal, not a human.
In your books it’s OK to beat an animal to death in front of children? I might be crazy, but you’re a sicko.
Anyone, and I mean ANYONE who mistreats or abuses a pet has no soul.
Give Foley just FIVE minutes with me and it would be all the
punishment he would ever need.
JJ61
If a cat came scratching at me, I most likely would kick or beat the cat, too. That said, more details are needed for this story before a judgment can be rendered. So far, I’m on this man’s side.
“Well? How else are you gonna tenderize it before you eat it?”
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