40s Man Who Shot Arrow into Stray Cat's Head Causing Blindness Receives Suspended Sentence in Second Trial

X-ray image showing an arrowhead embedded in the skull of a rescued stray cat. Photo by Animal Freedom Alliance Instagram post capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] A man in his 40s who deliberately shot a stray cat in the head with an arrow, causing blindness, was sentenced to probation again in the second trial following the first trial.

On the 14th, the Jeonju District Court Criminal Division 3-2 (Chief Judge Go Sang-gyo) announced that it dismissed the prosecutor's appeal in the appellate trial of Mr. A (47), who was indicted for violating the Animal Protection Act, and upheld the original sentence of one year in prison with two years of probation.

Mr. A was indicted on charges of injuring a cat by shooting it with a hunting arrow tipped with a 'broadhead' in the yard of his house in Oryong-dong, Gunsan City, in May last year. The broadhead is a product with three blades on the arrowhead designed to cause severe injury to animals, capable of causing excessive bleeding in a short time, and is not sold domestically due to its danger.

An arrowhead embedded in the head of a rescued stray cat. Photo by Animal Freedom Alliance Instagram post capture

According to the court and police, Animal Freedom Union received a report from the 'Gunsan Stray Cat Caretaker' about a cat wandering around the Gunsan University Road area with an object presumed to be a nail embedded in its head.

Subsequently, the cat was rescued by the Animal Freedom Union in July last year and transferred to an animal hospital. X-ray imaging revealed that the object embedded in the cat's head was not a nail but an arrowhead. Although the arrowhead was removed through surgery at the time, the cat's left eye was already blind due to infection.

Meanwhile, after analyzing nearby University Road CCTV footage and tracing the purchase route of the arrowhead, Mr. A was arrested. He admitted to the crime during police questioning, stating, "I did it to chase the cat away." The first trial court sentenced Mr. A to one year in prison with two years of probation, considering that although the crime was serious, he was a first-time offender and showed remorse.

The prosecution appealed, arguing that "the sentence in the first trial was too light," but the second trial court ruled, "The original sentencing appears to have sufficiently considered various factors favorable and unfavorable to the defendant," and "Even considering all the reasons claimed by the prosecutor, the original sentence is not excessively light to the extent that it exceeds the reasonable range of discretion."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.