Dad said ‘let them die’ while throwing daughter’s kittens off bridge

A father who drunkenly threw his daughter’s pet kittens into the River Thames has avoided prison.

Andrew Shephard, 59, was helping his daughter rehome the three young cats when he tipped them from a box into the water from Twickenham Bridge, south-west London, last November.

As he did, he could be heard shouting ‘let them die’ and ‘I want them to die’, Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court heard.

Shephard, who previously pleaded guilty to three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, had said he did not know ‘what came over me’.

During his sentencing hearing, prosecutor Manisha Kukadia told the court that the police were called to ‘reports of a male throwing cats into the River Thames’.

There were three kittens in total, and while one was saved before it fell in, the other two were ‘wet and muddy’ but alive when they were found by police officers.

The animals were both said to be ‘in shock’, and their temperature had dropped below 33°C.

The kittens belonged to Shephard’s daughter, who had given them to her father to help rehome them.

Ms Kukadia said the defendant’s daughter was ‘not aware’ of his actions in relation to the incident on the bridge.

After the incident, Shephard spoke to police and told them ‘he felt bad about the situation’ and admitted he was ‘very drunk at the time’.

The prosecutor said: ‘There was a clear intention for the kittens to be killed so it’s extreme and deliberate in nature. The aggravating factor… is the fact that there was use of alcohol at the time – he did say he was intoxicated.’

The defendant, who represented himself, told the court: ‘I feel bad for what I done. I’m not normally like that. I just don’t know what came over me at the time. I was incapacitated by alcohol.’

Addressing the defendant, magistrate Elizabeth Evans JP said: ‘It’s quite clear that this crosses the custody threshold – it’s serious enough in sentencing terms to justify a prison sentence.’

Ms Evans said, however, that his sentence will be suspended, adding that the probation service believes the defendant has a ‘good chance of rehabilitation’.

Shephard, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 17 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for a period of 18 months.

He must also complete 30 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days, pay a £154 surcharge, and pay £85 costs.

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