Sentenced to Prison After Repeating the Same Crime of Kicking a Stray Cat to Death
by Kim Hyunjeong1
Published 17 Apr.2026 17:11(KST)
Court Sentences Defendant to Four Months in Prison
"Methods Used Were Extremely Brutal"
A man in his 30s who killed a stray cat by kicking it and, angered by being punished for the act, committed the same crime again, has been sentenced to prison.
According to Yonhap News Agency on April 17, Judge Kang Youngsun of the Criminal Division 14 of Suwon District Court sentenced Mr. A to four months in prison for violating the Animal Protection Act.
Mr. A was charged with slamming a cat onto the ground and stepping on it, causing its death, on the roadside in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province at approximately 11:31 p.m. on May 4 last year.
Investigations revealed that Mr. A committed the offense out of anger after receiving a suspended sentence of six months in prison with two years’ probation from the court in February last year for a previous incident in September 2024, where he killed a cat by kicking it.
The court stated, “The defendant not only committed the same crime immediately after being punished, but the methods used were also extremely brutal, making him highly blameworthy. A prison sentence corresponding to the seriousness of the crime is therefore inevitable.”
The judge added, “However, the defendant’s pledge not to reoffend and his remorseful attitude, as well as the fact that symptoms of his illness partly contributed to the circumstances of this case, are considered favorable factors in sentencing.”
Meanwhile, stray cats, which are commonly seen in urban areas, live in extremely harsh conditions. While the average lifespan of companion animals varies depending on factors such as neutering and hereditary diseases, it is generally 12 years at the shortest and can reach 15 to 18 years. In contrast, the average lifespan of a stray cat is just three years, which is significantly shorter than that of a house cat. According to the American Animal Hospital Association, a 1-year-old cat is equivalent to a 15-year-old human, and a 2-year-old cat is equivalent to a 24-year-old human.
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