No pets for Camrose cat-microwavers
Teens sentenced to 100 hours of community service; 'It will never happen again,' one tells court

Ben Gelinas
edmontonjournal.com

Thursday, September 04, 2008

CREDIT: Elise Stolte/Edmonton Journal
Signs outside the courthouse in Camrose at an earlier hearing in the case.

CAMROSE - Two Camrose teenagers who killed a cat in a microwave are banned from owning animals for at least two years.

Justice Shauna Miller sentenced the 16-year-olds to 100 hours of community service each over the next 12 months.

They are also banned from playing or owning violent video games and must take counselling with an experienced forensic therapist. A curfew will be in place from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. every night for the next year unless they are with a parent.

Both teens stood up in court and apologized for their actions.

The first youth, tall and dressed in a black suit and black dress shirt, was brief in his apology: "I'm really sorry for what I did and I can guarantee you it will never happen again."

The shorter teen, also dressed in black but with a large red tie, said he still can't believe he did something "this intensely wrong." He said he has brought shame to his family as well as himself. "It's even an embarrassment to sports teams that I play on," he said. "I'm just sorry."

Crown prosecutor John Laluk argued that the teens should also be prevented from owning cellphones. The judge disagreed.

The ruling means the family of one of the teens must get rid of their dog by November.

Defence lawyer Chris Millsap argued that banning pet ownership was too harsh a sentence since the teen's family had bought a dog 10 weeks ago.

The judge said the family clearly knew the seriousness of the charges the teen was facing when they bought the dog.

Animal activists in the courtroom gasped upon hearing that the teen's family owns a dog. They have picketed outside the courthouse throughout the case.

In July, the two teens pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary pain and suffering to the cat. A judge ordered them to undergo psychological assessments.

Laluk said in court today that the teens were relatively normal kids who didn't show any signs of mental illness and were not intoxicated during the incident on Dec. 30, 2007.

He said the two boys were among five teens who allegedly broke into a Camrose house less than two blocks from where one of the boys lives.

"Guitars were smashed," he said. "A TV set was damaged and there were holes in the wall."

The teens knew the homeowners were away on vacation because they knew them, he said.

"At one time, they were considered friends," he said.

During a second visit, the teens put the family cat, Princess, in the microwave and turned it on.

"The cat is described as screaming in the microwave for approximately 10 minutes while it is cooked to death," Laluk said.

Someone then scrawled on a kitchen cupboard: "The cat is in the microwave. Nice cat. You had a nice cat."

Two other youths have pleaded not guilty. Their trial is scheduled for Nov. 17.

None of the teens can be identified because of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Outside court, Laluk said the Crown believes both teens sentenced today are primarily responsible for killing the cat.

The others facing charges allegedly stood by while the cat was being microwaved, he said.

bgelinas@thejournal.canwest.com

© Edmonton Journal 2008

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