Cat killer’s jail sentence a Queensland first

A MAN who inflicted horrific cruelty on his neighbour’s cat has been jailed, in a first for Queensland.

Timmy Patrick Sawyer, 25, of Urangan, outside Hervey Bay District Court

ONE of Queensland’s chief animal rights advocates has applauded a judge for sending a Hervey Bay cat killer to jail.

Timmy Patrick Sawyer, 26, will serve three months behind bars for holding his neighbour’s cat by the tail and repeatedly thrashing it against the road, the Fraser Coast Chronicle reports.

“This is actually a first when it comes to serious animal cruelty, in regards to that he will spend some time in jail,” RSPCA Queensland spokesman Michael Beatty said.

“We commend the judge for taking it seriously, it is encouraging.

“Three months might not sound like a lot, but it is a step forward.”

Sawyer appeared before Judge John Robertson in Hervey Bay District Court on Tuesday.

The Urangan man was also banned from owning an animal for two years.

Serious animal cruelty carries a maximum penalty of seven years.

In comparison, high-profile Queensland greyhound trainer Tom Noble, who used possums and other live animals as bait, received a three-year jail sentence but that was wholly suspended.