Mary Bale, the woman who became known as the 'cat bin woman' after she was caught on CCTV dropping a cat into a wheelie bin in Coventry, was fined £250 today. The 45-year-old former bank worker admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, but the incident has left her life in ruins.
The court heard how Bale was stressed and worried about her ill father, whom she visited daily. On 21 August, she paused to stroke the four-year-old tabby cat Lola, but then glanced around, opened a nearby bin, and placed the cat inside before walking away. The cat was trapped for 15 hours before its owners found it.
Bale faced global vilification after the CCTV footage was uploaded to YouTube, receiving death threats and abusive calls from as far as Australia. Thousands signed Facebook pages calling for her death, and she required police protection. She later described her actions as a 'split second of misjudgment' and apologised.
District Judge Caroline Goulborn acknowledged the 'vilification' Bale had suffered and accepted her remorse was genuine. She fined Bale £250, plus costs and a surcharge totalling £1,436.04, and banned her from keeping animals for five years. The RSPCA called it 'a very fair decision'.
Bale has since resigned from her job due to depression and her father died last Thursday. Her solicitor said she now wants to help her bereaved mother, but her infamy is likely to persist. As she left court, an onlooker shouted: 'I love you cat lady. Cat lady you are my hero.'
