Man sentenced for killing kittens
Bill Sawchuk, QMI Agency
First posted: Tuesday, December 23, 2014 07:36 PM EST | Updated: Tuesday, December 23, 2014 07:39 PM EST
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. -- A St. Catharines man who drowned two kittens and tried to kill a third was sentenced Tuesday to seven months in jail.
Jason Belair, 39, pled guilty to charges of willfully killing a kitten and failing to comply with a court order.
"These are really despicable actions taken by Mr. Belair," said Judge Joseph Nadal. "Anyone prepared to drown kittens out of frustration is an individual we should all be anxious about having at large in our community.
"That someone was prepared to inflict pain on a thing that is effectively defenceless -- I find that fearful and abhorrent."
Court heard Belair spent the night at a St. Catharines home on Aug. 30, 2014. When his stepsister woke, she heard wheezing noises coming from the bathroom.
When she investigated, she found one of her kittens was soaking wet and panting. Belair told her he thought the kitten was dirty and was giving it a bath.
The woman then realized her other two kittens were missing. When questioned about the whereabouts of the kittens, Belair said they might have run away, court was told.
She later found the dead kittens stuffed behind the couch in the living room. The animals were stiff and waterlogged. Court was told it appears the kittens died of asphyxiation, likely due to drowning.
A psychiatric report determined Belair was a high risk to re-offend. He has a lengthy criminal record and the report said he has an anti-social personality disorder.
Nadal also gave Belair three years' probation with strict conditions and a five-year ban on owning an animal or living with one.
Bill.Sawchuk@sunmedia.ca
Bill_Standard
Man sentenced for killing kittens | Ontario | News | Toronto Sun
Bill Sawchuk, QMI Agency
First posted: Tuesday, December 23, 2014 07:36 PM EST | Updated: Tuesday, December 23, 2014 07:39 PM EST
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. -- A St. Catharines man who drowned two kittens and tried to kill a third was sentenced Tuesday to seven months in jail.
Jason Belair, 39, pled guilty to charges of willfully killing a kitten and failing to comply with a court order.
"These are really despicable actions taken by Mr. Belair," said Judge Joseph Nadal. "Anyone prepared to drown kittens out of frustration is an individual we should all be anxious about having at large in our community.
"That someone was prepared to inflict pain on a thing that is effectively defenceless -- I find that fearful and abhorrent."
Court heard Belair spent the night at a St. Catharines home on Aug. 30, 2014. When his stepsister woke, she heard wheezing noises coming from the bathroom.
When she investigated, she found one of her kittens was soaking wet and panting. Belair told her he thought the kitten was dirty and was giving it a bath.
The woman then realized her other two kittens were missing. When questioned about the whereabouts of the kittens, Belair said they might have run away, court was told.
She later found the dead kittens stuffed behind the couch in the living room. The animals were stiff and waterlogged. Court was told it appears the kittens died of asphyxiation, likely due to drowning.
A psychiatric report determined Belair was a high risk to re-offend. He has a lengthy criminal record and the report said he has an anti-social personality disorder.
Nadal also gave Belair three years' probation with strict conditions and a five-year ban on owning an animal or living with one.
Bill.Sawchuk@sunmedia.ca
Bill_Standard
Man sentenced for killing kittens | Ontario | News | Toronto Sun
