Sick yob who put cat through three spin cycles in tumble dryer faces jail

Cruel Allan Staughton is facing jail after shutting his girlfriend's terrified cat in a tumble dryer and put it through three spin cycles - because he thought it was funny.

Staughton, 23, put the pet in the machine for 12 seconds and even filmed the animal's ordeal, then posted a video of its ordeal online.

During the video he can be heard joking the cat, called Princess, was 'the new Mr Tumble' and asked viewers to rate the disturbing YouTube video on a forum.

The RSPCA were alerted to the online video entitled 'You must see this - it will crack you up' and launched a man hunt for Staughton, who posted the sickening film under the alias 'Nitroazza'.

They discovered Princess suffered a broken tooth and a tongue injury in the terrifying attack and has now been rehomed.

Sick Staughton is now facing up to six months in jail after admitting animal cruelty at Huntingdon Magistrates' Court.

The lout broke down in tears during the hearing this week after his internet anonymity was unmasked in the court.

Magistrates heard Staughton had been dumped by his lover of four-and-a-half years and thrown out of their home following the cruel stunt.

Robert Starr, prosecuting for the RSPCA, asked the bench to slap a life-time ban on him keeping pets.

He said: "The cat would have been very terrified and would have suffered mental and physical effects caused by the cat having no method of escape.

"The reason why Princess didn't move when the door was opened is because the incident would have left the cat in sheer terror, unbalanced and disorientated.

"It left the cat without any of its senses that you would attribute to a cat.

"This would have been compounded by the fact that it had no means of escape."

Mr Starr said a vet examined the cat on July 6 and said it would have been disoriented and traumatised by its experience.

The prosecutor added that when Staughton was interviewed he had thought the incident was 'funny'.

He added: "He accepted it was a disgusting thing to do."

Klare Kennett, spokeswoman for RSPCA Cambridgeshire, said: "This is a horrible thing to do to a cat.

"The animal will have suffered great trauma and a great deal of panic in that situation. It is totally unacceptable."

Magistrates were shown the film of the cat, which has been removed from YouTube, being put into the machine as Staughton said it was going for 'a tumble'.

The dryer was then turned on with the cat spinning inside for 12 seconds before Staughton opened the door.

Even after the cat was on its back in the bottom of the machine with its legs in the door and meowing Staughton spun it twice more.

The RSPCA tracked down Staughton outside a pub in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire, following the incident on June 14.

The court heard Princess the cat had belonged to Staughton's former partner of four-and-a-half-years who he has a two-and-a-half-year-old child with.

Magistrates were told Staughton's relationship had broken down over the incident and he had moved out.

Princess was taken to Wood Green Animal Shelter in Godmanchester where she was later re-homed.

Staughton, of Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the cat and sentence was adjourned for reports.

Kevin Warboys, mitigating, asked for reports on Staughton, who suffered ADHD and a conduct disorder.

He said: "Mr Staughton suffers from conduct disorder which he says means 'I just do things without thinking'.

"The idea arose from the cat often getting into the tumble dryer after it has been used, which my client believes is because it is warm.

"This case has had a devastating effect on him and he awaits with trepidation the sentencing of the court."

Staughton will be sentenced on November 13.

He could be jailed for up to six months and fined up to £20,000 for animal cruelty under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.