APRIL THOMAS CONVICTED IN BELFAST FOR ANIMAL CRUELTY

April Louise Thomas, born on 30 April 1994 and residing on Thornhill Parade in Ballyclare (BT39 9RE), was convicted in 2022 after filming herself abusing a cat. The mother of two, who has connections to both Larne and Croydon, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the animal.

In May 2021, Belfast City Council received a complaint regarding animal cruelty at Thomas's residence. A video clip accompanying the complaint showed Thomas grabbing a white cat from a crate and holding it by the neck. In the footage, she appeared to apply pressure in a strangling motion while shouting, “See this weak neck. Shut up.”

A council solicitor reported that “She then strikes the cat on the head and face and calls the cat names.” The cat, who was not Thomas’s pet, was seen grasping and moving her jaws as if in pain before being returned to the crate.

District Judge George Conner was informed that the incident had been reported after Thomas sent the video to a relative. A veterinarian who examined the footage confirmed that the cat would have suffered from being choked and struck.

Initially, Thomas denied the allegations until presented with the footage, at which point she claimed the cat had bitten her. Animal welfare officers later located the cat and returned it to its owner, who was issued an improvement notice to prevent her from leaving the cat with Thomas again. During interviews, Thomas admitted to giving the cat “a smack because it wouldn’t shut up and attacked me.” A photograph showing an alleged bite mark on her hand was produced as evidence.

Thomas acknowledged that her behavior was inappropriate but stated she suffers from depression. Defense lawyer Paul Burns emphasized the gravity of the incident, which he described as lasting “a couple of seconds.” He highlighted her previously clean record and mentioned that her IQ has been assessed as being in the lowest one percent of the population.

Judge Conner sentenced Thomas to 80 hours of community service, ordered her to pay £172 in costs, and imposed a 10-year ban from keeping, caring for, or being involved with cats. The order prohibits her from keeping or caring for cats in any capacity.

This case was reported by Belfast Live.