B.C. man jailed after killing kitten in 'torturous' attack that woke neighbour
Warning: This story contains disturbing details.
A B.C. man who admitted to attacking his pet kitten so brutally the animal had to be euthanized has been sentenced to spend four months behind bars.
Vancouver provincial court heard Yiming Zhu was in a state of "emotional maladjustment" due to social isolation and mental health pressures when he decided to punish his kitten for biting and scratching him in the early morning hours of May 20, 2021.
The violent outburst that ensued saw the defenceless animal swung by its tail, repeatedly smacked against concrete and stepped on, according to court documents posted online this week.
The kitten's cries were loud enough to awaken Zhu's neighbour, who called police – but the attack persisted, with Zhu "apparently callous to (the animal's) suffering," Judge Harbans Dhillon wrote in her June 29 decision.
"The time over which the kitten was brutalized was about 20 to 25 minutes, with stops and starts," Dhillon wrote.
"His conduct caused pain, fear and distress to the animal and can fairly be called torturous."
When police arrived, the kitten was alive but barely moving. Authorities took the animal to an emergency veterinary clinic, where it was determined to be too grievously injured for treatment.
The court heard Zhu moved to Canada from China with his mother at age 15 to complete high school and attend university. His mother returned to China a few years later, leaving Zhu living alone in the family's Vancouver home, where he experienced loneliness, feeling of depression and deteriorating mental health.
His loneliness is what led Zhu to adopt a young, five-pound kitten, according to the documents, but he was woefully ill-equipped to care for the animal.
"He had no prior exposure to domestic pets, which had never been permitted in the family home," Dhillon wrote.
"The kitten was supposed to be a companion but managing it added more stress in his life. His mounting frustrations with the kitten urinating and defecating in the house, and biting and scratching him, reached the point that he lashed out."
While he was found to be experiencing an adjustment disorder at the time of the attack, an assessment report conducted at the Vancouver Regional Forensic Clinic determined he was not suffering from a major mental illness such as clinical depression or psychosis.
The court heard Zhu's emotional maladjustment has since resolved. While awaiting trial he managed to graduate from university and successfully apply to a Master's program in the U.K.
The Crown recommended a jail term of six months, but Dhillon noted a number of mitigating factors in the case, including that Zhu had no criminal record and was cooperative with police, providing a "full and frank" account of what transpired.
"He appears to have gained insight into his offending behaviour. During his forensic interview he expressed his deep regret," Dhillon wrote, also noting Zhu was found to be a low risk to reoffend.
He further took responsibility by pleading guilty to willfully causing unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to an animal.
The judge sentenced Zhu to four months in jail, and banned him from "owning, having custody or control of, or residing in the same premises as an animal" for 25 years.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
The pros and cons of discussing mental health issues in the workplace
A group of lawyers has written what they call a groundbreaking book about how mental health is perceived in the legal profession.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.