A man who drunkenly threw his daughter's kittens off a London bridge, yelling "let them die", has been given a suspended sentence.
Andrew Shephard was helping his daughter rehome the three young cats when he tipped them from a box into the River Thames from Twickenham Bridge in south-west London last November.
The 59-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
Shephard, of no fixed address, was sentenced at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court to 17 weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.
The court was told witnesses heard him shouting "let them die" and "I want them to die" as the animals were dropped.
He later told police he did not know "what came over me".
'Extreme and deliberate'
Prosecutor Manisha Kukadia said police had been called to the scene and one kitten was caught before it hit the water, while the other two were found by officers "wet and muddy" and "in shock" but alive.
The animals belonged to Shephard's daughter, who had asked him to help rehome them but she was "not aware" of his actions on the bridge.
After his arrest, Shephard told police he felt "bad about the situation", had shown remorse, and said he had been "very drunk at the time".
Kukadia told the court: "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."
Representing himself, Shephard told magistrates: "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."
Magistrate Elizabeth Evans JP said his actions were "serious enough in sentencing terms to justify a prison sentence".
However, she said the sentence would be suspended, noting the probation service believed Shephard had a "good chance of rehabilitation".
He must also complete 30 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days and pay a £154 surcharge and £85 costs.
The kittens have found new homes with two living in Chiswick and one in Suffolk.
Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk
(Feed generated with FetchRSS)