9 hours ago
Woman jailed over Snapchat video of dogs killing cat in Burnley
A woman who filmed herself causing her dogs to kill a neighbour's elderly cat has been jailed after posting a video of the attack on Snapchat. Alexandra Gregson was heard shouting "get that little cat" on the footage, which showed two dogs pouncing on the 15-year-old black and white female called Poppy. Gregson was identified after the cat's body was found in a bin near her home in Padiham, Burnley, on 30 April 2024, the RSPCA said. The 36-year-old, who was already in prison for unrelated offences, was jailed on 15 August for 10 months after pleading guilty to animal welfare offences at Burnley Crown Court.
The RSPCA said the video showed the cat, which appeared "frozen with fear" being set upon by two dogs in a garden. A laughing Gregson could be heard shouting "get it Zola, get that little cat. Go on get it."
A report from a vet, who saw the footage, stated: "The dogs do not appear to readily want to attack the cat but following the repeated commands from the owner they do."The woman laughs during the attack thus appearing to find the attack amusing and entertaining."Insp Miranda Albinson, who investigated for the RSPCA, said the video was "incredibly distressing to watch"."This must have been a terrifying experience for Poppy and would have caused her considerable suffering to be attacked and killed like this," she said.
'Sadistic'
A post mortem of Poppy's body found she had suffered from a torn liver, there was blood within her abdominal cavity and bleeding lesions to her left kidney and stomach which the RSPCA said was consistent with "blunt force trauma".After Gregson was jailed, Judge Sara Dodd said: "It is perhaps hard to put into words how sadistic and persistent that episode was."Your dogs took a significant amount of encouragement before they began, let alone continued their attack on Poppy."They had absolutely no interest in that cat before you goaded them into attacking her."
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