No jail time, no pets for Alta. teens who microwaved cat: Judge

Two Alberta teenagers who killed a family's cat in a microwave - a crime that drew outrage from animal lovers around the world - have been banned by a judge from owning animals for at least two years.

They're also barred from owning or playing violent video games for the next year.

But they're avoiding jail time.


Along with the ban on pets and violent games, the teens have been ordered to take counselling with a forensic therapist.

They'll have to follow a strict curfew between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. every night for the next year, unless they are with a parent.

According to court-ordered psychological assessments, video games were not found to have directly encouraged the boys' actions.

But barring their access to such games was nonetheless a recommendation put forward in the assessments.

Both teens stood up in court and apologized for their actions.

The first youth, tall and dressed in a black suit and black dress shirt, was brief in his apology: "I'm really sorry for what I did and I can guarantee you it will never happen again."

The shorter teen, also dressed in black but with a large red tie, said he still can't believe he did something "this intensely wrong."

He said he has brought shame to his family as well as himself.

"It's even an embarrassment to sports teams that I play on," he said. "I'm just sorry."

Crown prosecutor John Laluk had argued the teens should be prevented from owning cellphones. The judge disagreed.

The ruling means the family of one of the teens must get rid of their dog by November.

Defence lawyer Chris Millsap argued that banning pet ownership was too harsh a sentence since the teen's family bought a dog just 10 weeks ago.

The judge said the family clearly knew the seriousness of the charges the teen was facing when they bought the dog.

After word of the crime got around Camrose, one boy's family relocated to Edmonton to avoid the backlash.

Before he left, someone placed a microwave inside his locker with a toy cat in it.

"There are people calling for their heads," Millsap said.

Animal activists in the courtroom gasped Thursday after hearing that the teen's family owns a dog.

Animal rights activists picketed the courthouse during the trial. A Facebook site that briefly named the accused teens also posted threats of bodily harm against them.

"They will all get their faces smashed in by January 6th," read one anonymous posting.

"I would say these monsters should be tortured, let society at them," read another.

In July, the two teens pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary pain and suffering to the cat.

A judge ordered them to undergo psychological assessments.

Laluk said in court Thursday the teens were relatively normal kids who showed no signs of mental illness and were not intoxicated during the incident on Dec. 30, 2007.

The prosecutor said the two boys were among five teens who allegedly broke into a Camrose house less than two blocks from where one of the boys lives.

Camrose is about 100 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.

"Guitars were smashed," he said. "A TV set was damaged and there were holes in the wall."

The teens knew the homeowners were away on vacation because they knew them, he said.

"At one time, they were considered friends," he said.

During a second visit, the teens put the family cat, Princess, in the microwave and turned it on.

"The cat is described as screaming in the microwave for approximately 10 minutes while it is cooked to death," Laluk said.

Someone then scrawled on a kitchen cupboard: "The cat is in the microwave. Nice cat. You had a nice cat."

Two other youths have pleaded not guilty. Their trial is scheduled for Nov. 17.

None of the teens can be identified because of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Outside court, Laluk said the Crown believes both teens sentenced today are primarily responsible for killing the cat.

The others facing charges allegedly stood by while the cat was being microwaved, he said.

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