Accused of 'Throwing Cat from 16th Floor'... Claimed "Fell Alone" but Fined

A woman in her 40s, who was prosecuted on charges of throwing a cat from an apartment to death, denied the charges, claiming that "the cat fell by itself," but was fined in the first trial. The photo is unrelated to the article content. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] A woman in her 40s who was prosecuted on charges including causing a cat to fall to its death from an apartment corridor was sentenced to a fine in the first trial. ▶Refer to Asia Economy July 1 article "Thrown" vs "Jumped" 'Apartment 16th Floor Cat Fall Death' Mystery [Seocho-dong Legal Story].

According to the court on the 30th, Judge Shin Hyukjae of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 4 recently sentenced A, who was indicted for violating the Animal Protection Act and assault, to a fine of 3 million won.

Earlier, A was prosecuted on charges of throwing a cat out of the railing on the 16th floor of an apartment in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, on the evening of July 14, 2020, causing its death, and slapping an elementary school student who pointed this out.

The cat was a stray cat brought from an adoption center about five hours before the accident, but A reportedly did not show up at the spot where the cat fell for several tens of minutes. She is also accused of hitting the head of a 10-year-old elementary school student who shouted in the crowd, "That person killed the cat," saying, "I didn't throw it!"

A, who received a summary order for a fine of 3 million won, higher than the amount requested by the prosecution, appealed and requested a formal trial. A summary order is when the prosecutor requests a fine or penalty by written examination only, and the court reviews the documents and issues a sentence without a formal trial.

A strongly denied the charges. She claimed that the cat escaped from the house within an hour and a chase ensued in the corridor, and that the cat jumped down at the moment she reached out to catch it on the railing.

A's lawyer argued, "Due to a mistake by the center, a gentle cat originally scheduled for adoption was given to someone else, and given the nature of such a stray cat, it was not a situation where it could be easily caught and thrown." He also admitted that hitting the elementary school student was wrong but claimed it was at the level of a light tap on the head.

In her final statement, A said, "I am truly sorry to the child who was hurt by my hand and to the parents," and added, "I was reckless because I had no knowledge about cats. I didn't know it would run away like that." She continued, "I was scared and my legs went weak, so I couldn't go down immediately and kept making (report) calls," and said, "I am sorry to the dead cat. Even after the funeral, its image keeps coming to mind. But I really did not throw it."

On the other hand, resident B, who watched A's appearance from across the apartment, testified as a witness, saying, "It seemed that A's facial expression did not change immediately after the accident." He also said, "The bus stop where the cat fell is about 50 meters away from the apartment, a place that cannot be reached without a strong throw by a person." The prosecutor requested the court to sentence a fine of 1 million won.

The first trial sentenced a fine of 3 million won, higher than the prosecutor's request. Judge Shin said, "The defendant intentionally threw the cat to cause its death," and added, "The claim of 'unfairness' cannot be accepted." He also said, "The defendant claimed during the investigation that she was suffering from a mental illness, but based on evidence, it cannot be considered that she was in a state of diminished mental capacity at the time of the crime," and criticized, "On that premise, the amount of the fine in this summary order is not considered excessive."

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