Man caught by CCTV beating cat banned from keeping animals for five years

A man who carried out a sustained attack on a cat in a Chester street has received a five-year ban on keeping animals.

Artur Zakowicz was captured on CCTV taken on March 24 committing the cowardly act in Charles Street near to the defendant’s home. The footage showed him grabbing the black and white cat, which belonged to him, by his skin and slapping him violently six times with his hand while pushing the feline to the ground. 

He then picked up the cat, called Bashik, roughly by the skin on his back, before the feline managed to escape.

Zakowicz was tracked down and the RSPCA and Cheshire Police attended his property on April 16. When Bashik was examined later that day at RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital there were no apparent injuries from the attack, but a vet said any soft tissue damage may have healed in the time that had elapsed between the incident and the medical.

Zakowicz, (D.o.B 11.1.1976), of Brook Street, Chester, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a cat under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and appeared for sentencing at Chester Magistrates’ Court on October 14.

In a written statement presented to the court, RSPCA inspector Naomi Morris said she was shown CCTV footage of the attack at Blacon Police Station and went with a police officer to Zakowicz’s flat where he admitted the attack and gave the RSPCA permission to take the animal for a vet check. 

The vet’s expert report stated: “Persisting signs of bruising and soft tissue swelling would not be expected when considering the examination was carried out 23 days after the CCTV incident. No skeletal injuries were detectable radiographically.”

But after viewing the attack, the vet concluded that Bashik would have been “in pain for a period of several hours, possibly longer”.

Bashik has been taken into the care of the RSPCA and the animal charity will rehome him.

As well as the ban, Zakowicz was also handed a 12-month community sentence under which he must complete 15 rehabilitation activity days and 200 hours of unpaid work. He also has to pay a victim surcharge of £114 and costs of £500.