August 31, 201015 yr [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1xuLs7BCeo&feature=player_embedded]YouTube- Cat thrown in bin by complete stranger[/ame] Coventry cat tormentor Mary Bale has become the latest victim of 4chan - a website credited with creating some of the web's biggest phenomena, whose users wreak havoc across cyberspace. Just what is it all about? When CCTV footage emerged of a middle-aged lady stroking a cat before dumping it in a wheelie bin, millions were outraged. But in one murky corner of the internet, the scent of blood was detected. En masse, an army of cyber-pranksters swung into action and culprit Mary Bale was initially outed not by the forces of Fleet Street but by users of an online community. According to reports, they quickly established her identity, her workplace and her employer's phone number. Death threats and prank calls quickly followed. It was the latest headline-grabbing prank from 4chan, an iconoclastic US site that has given the world such web staples as lolcats and Rickrolling. It claims 22 million page impressions every day and 9.5 million unique users every month. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10520487
October 19, 201015 yr Woman who shocked the nation after putting cat in a bin is banned from keeping pets for five years and fined £250 Woman who shocked the nation after putting cat in a bin is banned from keeping pets for five years and fined £250 By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 12:52 PM on 19th October 2010 Comments (74) Videos Add to My Stories Guilty: Mary Bale arrives at court today where she admitted causing unnecessary suffering to four-year-old tabby Lola A bank worker who sparked an international outcry after putting a cat in a wheelie bin was today banned from keeping animals for five years and fined £250. Mary Bale, 45, was caught on CCTV stroking four-year-old tabby Lola before picking her up by the scruff of her neck and dropping her into the bin. Lola was trapped for 15 hours before her owners Stephanie Andrews-Mann, 24, and husband Darryl, 26, finally found her the following morning. The footage sparked a nationwide hunt for Bale and lead to fury and threats from animal lovers - and resulted in Bale being given police protection. As evidence was given in court today, Bale - wearing a dark suit and white blouse - sat sipping from a plastic cup before bowing her head as details of the case were read out. Showing the judge stills from the CCTV on his laptop, RSPCA prosecutor Nick Sutton said it was clear Bale's actions were deliberate. He said: "The defendant says she doesn't know why she picked it (the cat) up and didn't intend any massive distress with the cat and she does not know why she did it. 'That does not fit with what we see. She plainly looked to see if anyone was watching which means she was clearly aware of the moral position she was in at that time.' In court it was revealed that Bale had actually stopped and stroked Lola on several days before the attack on her way home from visiting her seriously ill father in hospital. In mitigation, solicitor David Murray said his client's actions were impulsive and caused little or no injury. He said: 'There is no evidence to say the cat has not made a full recovery, the court will of course be concerned as to why this matter happened. 'Mary Bale has asked herself the same questions for the last two months.' Scroll down for video... Miss Bale is shown stroking the cat... ... before dropping the tabby in the wheelie bin He added: 'After going to the hospital daily with her mother to see her father she would then walk to her own house. 'The cat was often on the wall seeking attention and she would stroke it. She cannot explain why her behaviour changed on this occasion.' Mr Murray also stressed that his client had been suffering from depression. 'She indicated in interview that she actually had very little recollection of it.,' he said. 'She was confronted by members of the press six days later when she made a full admission. Safe now: Four-year-old Lola back in her owner's arms 'Because of her father's condition she was not eating, she was not sleeping. She had subsequently been signed off work for anxiety and depression. 'She has taken full responsibility for her actions although you might say that the video footage gave her no alternative.' She admitted in court to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal but a second charge of failing to provide the cat with a suitable environment, contrary to the 2006 Animal Welfare Act, was dropped. The maximum sentence for her charge is six months in prison or a £20,000 fine, but sentencing District Judge Caroline Goulborn ordered her to pay just £200, a £50 victim surcharge and £1,171.04 costs. She was also banned from keeping or owning animals for the next five years. Outcry: Bale attracted huge interest from the media as she left court today District judge Caroline Goulborn told Miss Bale the potential of the offence to have caused harm to the cat was substantial, but in reality it had not been hurt. She said: 'The media interest in this case has resulted in you being vilified in some quarters and I have taken that into account.' Judge Goulborn added: 'I accept that you were in a stressful situation at the time, but that's no excuse for what you did.' Mail Online was inundated with comments from outraged readers after we published the CCTV images in August. But when Miss Bale was finally tracked down, she claimed the outcry had been blown out of all proportion. 'I don't know what the fuss is about,' she said. 'It's just a cat.' TODAY'S POLL Should Mary Bale, the 'cat bin woman' have been given a heftier fine? Yes No VOTE POLL RESULTS Close All polls Click to view yesterday's poll results She added that she had just been walking home on a Saturday when she saw the cat and decided to play with it. But she told the Sun that she 'suddenly thought it would be funny' to put it in the bin. 'I did it as a joke because I thought it would be funny. I never thought it would be trapped, I expected it to wriggle out,' she said. Referring to the CCTV footage, she told how she could not believe it was being seen around the world and was afraid it would upset her family. She said: 'I don't know what my relatives will think but to be honest I think everyone is overreacting a bit.' While Miss Bale admitted she should not have done it, she said she did not deserve to be 'hated' by everyone and assumed the cat would find its own way out the bin. Her mother also insisted the unmarried bank clerk 'loved cats' - and had even kept them as pets as a child. Celia Bale, 78, said: 'She's my daughter and as far as I'm concerned she is the most caring person you could ever wish to meet. 'She had cats when she was a little girl and has never shown any cruelty to animals before in her life - she loves animals. 'I talked to her on the phone today and she can't explain why she did it or what got into her head, only that she really regrets it.' Today the RSPCA welcomed the court's decision. Nicola Foster, an inspector from the animal charity, said: 'This was a deliberate act and could have had far worse consequences as the defendant had no way of knowing if there was anything like broken glass in the bin, nor how long the cat would be there before she was found, nor if the bin was due to be emptied. 'We are pleased that the court agreed that a complete disregard was shown for the cat’s welfare and hope that this sentence will act as a deterrent to anyone who feels that it is acceptable to mistreat animals in any way.' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1321774/Mary-Bale-Cat-bin-woman-fined-banned-keeping-pets.html#ixzz12nywMgQr
October 23, 201015 yr Author all the money should have gone to Lola for a nice pamper and shampoo :nice:
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