A South Korean court sentenced a man in April who killed 76 cats to 14 months in prison, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
The unidentified Korean man, said to be in his 20’s, reportedly embarked on the deadly spree from the end of 2022 through the Fall of 2023. A sincere loathing of felines due to them continuously clawing into his car evoked the episode, court documents showed, according to The AP.
To kill the cats, the man reportedly used scissors, strangled some to death and ran one over with his car. (RELATED: Japanese City Reportedly On High Alert For Cat Who Fell Into Vat Of Toxic Chemicals)
The man both adopted cats and caught strays, going on to slay them thereafter, the court order reads.
Court in South Korea sentences man in his 20s to 14-months jail for brutally killing over 70 street catshttps://t.co/pyTZmxDILv
— Türkiye Today (@turkiyetodaycom) April 23, 2024
Given the premeditated nature of the killings, the man’s actions were dubbed “indescribably cruel” in the final verdict, according to The AP. (RELATED: Dash Cam Catches Moment Cat Thrown Out Car Window On Highway)
The verdict also emphasized the reasoning behind the seemingly light 14 month sentence, which was because the defendant had no prior criminal history and also expressed regret for his behaviors. Furthermore, it was ruled the man’s mental health status was a motive behind the dozens of cat killings, The AP reported.
A South Korean man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for killing 76 cats in one of the country’s most gruesome cases of animal cruelty in recent years. #SouthKorea https://t.co/CMVrri6jmR
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) April 23, 2024
Still, the man appealed the ruling.
“This cruelty case also emphasizes the importance of passing the Civil Act amendment that will legally recognize animals as living beings and further strengthen their protection in law,” said Borami Seo, a director of the South Korea office of the Humane Society International, according to The AP.
Borami also defended the more than one-year sentence.
“The sentence reflects Korean society’s increasing concern for animal welfare and intolerance for senseless cruelty such as this,” Seo said.