French Youth Fined €2,500 After Throwing Local Favourite Bobby The Cat Into Spinola Bay Sea
A French youth has been fined after being involved in a “cowardly” incident where he threw an elderly cat into sea. His arrest comes after several days of him and his friends being a nuisance to local residents in Spinola Bay.
Brieux Reungoat, aged 21, was fined €2,500 after pleading guilty to throwing a cat into the sea and causing it unnecessary suffering, TVM reported.
The incident happened on 9th June at around 7.30pm, when local residents and a LESA warden saw Reungoat throwing the cat – a popular local stray known as Bobby – into the sea as a joke.
In court, Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech said Reungoat had been “cowardly” in the way he abused the innocent animal, saying such behaviour had no place in modern society, where animals should be cared for, not hurt.
“The way one treats animals is a mirror and a tangible measure of one’s humanity, morality, and civility,” she said.
Reungoat was part of a group of French youths who had been giving locals headaches for days.
One resident, describing the youths as “drunk”, told Lovin Malta that the day before they attacked the cat, the youths had scaled a large boat on land before “stealing” a small dinghy in the sea nearby to ride to other boats and scaling them as well between the hours of 1am and 3am.
The next day, Bobby the cat – who is described as being “very friendly” – had approached the youths as they were near the sea behind Cavalieri Hotel.
Bobby the cat
However, instead of petting the cat, they threw him into the sea. Bobby is an elderly cat, however he was able to make it back onto land and escape the youths.
“He needed to swim all around Cavalieri and back to the beach in order not to drown… thank God he is a smart cat,” one resident told Lovin Malta.
Activist Pia Micallef also recounted the incident in a public post on social media, urging for action to be taken against the offenders.
The day after the incident, two LESA wardens arrived in Spinola Bay with cat food, checking up on the cat’s health. Thankfully, Bobby has returned to his previous relaxed life in Spinola Bay following Reungoat’s arrest.
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