Bodybuilder killed cat after it ate his cannabis in Cornwall

Aaron Chapman, 29, a bodybuilder with a building company in Bodmin, was jailed for four months at the end of October following the attack on his cat Lord Biris at the end of 2018.

Sitting at Truro Crown Court, His Honour Judge Simon Carr dismissed the appeal from Mr Chapman against the lifetime ban on keeping animals imposed at Bodmin Magistrates Court.

Judge Carr was told that when Chapman’s relationship with his girlfriend ended this year she had told police that at the end of 2018, or the first part of 2019, he had killed his cat.

Chapman had become angry with his cat after he saw it with some of his cannabis in its mouth.

He had shouted at it, picked it up by the tail and swung it around the lounge five times banging its head on the floor each time.

The court heard his now ex-girlfriend had taken the cat into the kitchen and laid it down while it was still alive and twitching.

She had shown Chapman and he had taken a five-inch blade from the kitchen and stabbed the cat in its body before taking it out to the bin.

“She found the whole incident very distressing,” the crown told Judge Carr. “Mr Chapman was angry that the cat had eaten his cannabis. He saw red, grabbed the cat, threw it to the ground, lost control and stabbed it in the neck killing it.”

He added: “He tried to put the cat out of its misery.”

In his appeal Chapman, who has been released on licence, said the judge should consider whether the ban should be for life. He said he had developed an interest in going to the gym and had started taking steroids and got into body building.

That had caused him a number of issues with mood swings and aggression, but he had stopped taking drugs as he knew they were dangerous for him and had plenty of time to reflect on what he had done.

“He’s not physically had any contact with any animal at all since the ban,” his barrister told Judge Carr.

But Judge Carr was not moved by the argument and upheld the ban.