Man Who Microwaved Kitten Freed with No Jail Time
In a heinous disregard for animal suffering, Forfar Scotland Sheriff Kevin Veal sentenced convicted cat torturer Declan Baker (right) to community service instead of jail time.
(Due to the disturbing nature of the crime, I will not describe it in detail here. For the whole story, click here.)
Baker admitted to microwaving a four-week old kitten. (The kitten subsequently had to be euthanized.) Baker claimed it was a joke that went to far and he regretted it.
Sheriff Veal said, “To put a small, defenseless animal inside a microwave oven and then activate the oven, with the injuries the animal thereafter sustained is altogether appalling and utterly unacceptable.” Veal also stated that he would be “hard pushed to envisage a worse case of animal cruelty.” Yet he turned around and opted not to jail Baker, saying his sentence would be better served in the community. Baker was sentenced to 120 hours of community service, banned from keeping pets for a mere seven years, and ordered to pay £150 in compensation to cover veterinarian’s fees.
John Robins, spokesman for Animal Concern Advice Line, said: “We’re disgusted at this decision. We’re disgusted that anyone who can do something as cruel as this can walk from court a free man.
“Anyone found guilty of such an horrific crime should be banned for life from keeping animals, sentenced to time in prison and then monitored on release to make sure they don’t repeat their crimes or go on to more horrendous activity.”
If you would like to express your outrage at this appallingly lenient sentence, contact Kevin Veal:
Email: forfar@scotcourts.gov.uk
Kevin Veal
Sheriff Clerk’s Office
Sheriff Court House
Market Street
Forfar, Scotland
DD8 3LA
DX: 503674
Telephone: 01307-462186
Fax: 01307-462268
Hi Skeezy, That is another sad story of how punishment doesn’t fit the cruel crime. That guy will no doubt be a repeat offender.
I’m a firm believer that the punishment should fit the crime. He should be microwaved himself to see how he likes it. Then throw him in a lion pit, and let the big cats deal with him.
Scumbag! he looks like someone out of Clockwork Orange! Lemme at him.
Ohhh the torture that poor kitten suffered! I just can’t bear it. I am definitely emailing them this is outrageous.
Unfortunately here in the UK, I’m sorry to say this is usually the case – the sentencing for animal crimes is pathetically weak. Scotland has a different justice system than the rest of the UK but it seems they are just as reluctant to hand out the maximum sentence for animal cruelty, which would only have been 6 months. I can’t for the life of me understand why he was not given a lifetime ban on keeping animals.
Someone did the exact same thing in the town where I live about 10 years ago and they got a 3 month prison sentence, which would have meant he’d probably served 8 weeks maximum. Unfortunately prison overcrowding means that the judges are very reluctant to hand out jail terms.
I don’t like to condone any violence but these people do receive their punishment on the streets. This is what happens when the community is angered by such a cowardly crime like this and people don’t feel that justice has been served – they take matters into their own hands.
The creep. He looks like that Vandersloot guy to me. I hope they make him shovel dog and cat poop for his community service!
His sentance would be better served in a locked cell with a big mean cellmate named “Bubba” with lovin on his mind…
As an added note:
Mom would like to kiss him upside the cranium with a baseball bat then say “Oh sorry the joke went to far!”.
There is a special corner of Hell reserved for the likes of this monster, I hope he goes there soon.
The message sent by this ruling is that the torture of a helpless animal is a matter of no consequence. I have reminded the Sheriff of the well documented evidence highlighting this type of crime as a precursor to further violence against both animals and humans. Like so many others, I am in tears over this.
Jaffa’s Mum
Listed email bounced back
Try this, it worked for me:
forfar@scotcourts.gov.uk
Jaffa’s Mum
After you express your opinions to the judge, maybe you’d like to express them to the *man* himself.
69 Pitreuchie Place, Forfar, Angus,Scotland.DD8 2DQ
Saw this on a forum elsewhere:
Friday, February 20, 2009, 11:13 am | !quote’”>Quote
I am from Forfar, and he was beaten up for what he did to the kitten, once by [b]michael henderson 16[/b] of forfar and again by [b]Liam Taylor 14[/b] .He went crying to the police and had both youths charged and convicted with assaulting him. [b]MICHAEL WAS REMANDED[/b] to perth prison for 2 weeks after assualting Baker by pushing him down a flight of stairs and repeatetly punching and kicking him in the head to his injury. And yet Baker kills a cat and escapes prison, where is the justice? Away from court he shows no remorse for his actions and walks around town thinking he is “the man”
I am glad his face is on tv and in articles. I think there are a lot of animal lovers out there who should know his face. He deserves whatever happens to him on the streets and more.
I just don’t understand why people are so mean to cats. Research shows this type of behavior in teens (usually boys) leads to future predatory crimes. He should be punished and monitored.
This is absolutely despicable and intolerable. This miserable excuse for humanity needs to either A) be tossed mercilessly into a microwave or B) be eradicated from this decent society. What is WRONG with people?
May this piece of waste suffer in hell for ALL eternity.
Hey I know this guy! He lives with his mum and step dad and they have cats and a dog! How does the punishment work if he get sto stay in abhouse iwth animals that hes not kepping per say but there there!
This is atrocious!!! We wish that poor dear cat could microwave him!!!!
He should have got more than he got!!!! And then some……….
To Informcat,
Please find more Scots to kick his arse! Kick it until he is in ICU!!
Luv, Rue Rue
To Jannie
I saw in a newspaper that his mother has to get rid of the family pets.
Personaly if he was my son, i would get rid of him and keep my pets.
That boy is a horrible, horrible sub-human creature. What a reprehensible crime. I hope he suffers for it somehow, sometime. The sentence was not enough. We are outraged. That poor, poor, little kitty. *tears*
It is inconcevable to me that people like this are allowed to roam free. Anyone who would treat an innocent, defenseless creature like this, has serious issues. Cruelty to animals is the stepping stone of future serial killer status.
Absolutely horrific. What is this heinous monster’s next ‘accident’ or joke that goes too far? Such a disregard for innocent life and suffering should be made an example.
i used to play with this guy when i was younger, when i was visiting my grandad , he stayed round the corner . i think it is sick and absolutely terrible . i am disgusted by this.in the dispatch i read that zippos circus was slammed for using animals saying its cruel , but that is the opposite of what i think , theyre in good condition and look loved and this guy microwaves a kitten! what can be anymore crueler than picking on an innocent little animal that cant defend itself . its disgusting , for what he done to that poor animal , he got nothing !!! i dont think he should be allowed to keep any animals or go near them. i dont know how he could show his face in any town after this .
Community service? That’s a joke, I can’t even bear reading this story.
This is not a human, this is a monster. The only reason I can see for community service is that money should not be wasted on him, although you can tell he has no conscience or compassion. Sooner or later, he will be found dead in an alley, no tears shed.
Too many wierdos out there with no brains! What are people producing out there, they aren’t teaching the kids anything! These young men like him are a disgrace to the human race. A Joke gone wrong? The joke is on the judges bench. Young people that aren’t taught to love animals and could even JOKE like that? Come on, this has me angry and really angry. Not just at the guy either, but at society for letting guys like this live in society! Why do we let so much crap go on and do nothing to stop it. Sick world, such a sick world. I’m glad they posted this idiotts picture, but it should be posted on the front page of every newspaper in the country.