Thief spared jail so he can feed his cat

A judge spared a thief from prison so that he could go home and feed his cat. District judge David Cooper was about to jail 55-year-old Steven Thorne for repeatedly shoplifting alcohol when he changed his mind after being informed about the pet cat.

Thorne’s lawyer Julie Brice told Colchester Magistrates’ Court that there was no one to feed the cat, which was trapped indoors as Thorne did not have a cat flap at his home.



‘She’s been at home alone since he was arrested yesterday. She will be climbing the walls with hunger,’ Brice said. The judge asked: ‘Is this a good reason not to send him to prison, because he has a cat? I’ve never heard of that.’

He then let Thorne off with a £75 fine. Then, after ordering him to install a cat flap, he told Thorne: "Would you kindly think of your cat a bit more before you start shoplifting again."