A family pet was mauled to death by an allegedly out of control pack of hunting hounds, a court heard.
Mini, a 14-year-old black cat, was attacked by around six dogs on a housing estate in West Cornwall in March this year, the court was told.
Western Hunt master John Sampson is standing trial accused of being in charge of at least one dog dangerously out of control and criminal damage.
Truro Magistrates’ Court heard the incident was filmed on a mobile phone by a neighbour of the cat’s owner Carly Jose.
Mini the cat
The court heard that the video footage shows that after a dog dropped the cat, Sampson’s son, Edward, threw its lifeless body over a fence into a back garden of a neighbour in Trafalgar Fields, Madron, Penzance.
Chris Rendell, prosecuting, told the court that Sampson, his son and his son’s girlfriend were on horseback exercising a pack of around 21 dogs in fields close to the estate on the morning of March 6.
Around six dogs broke away from the main pack and entered the cul-de-sac where they chased, caught and killed the cat, the court heard.
Neighbour Charlie Knight filmed the incident on his mobile phone, while another neighbour, Peter Nicholls, spoke to Edward Sampson, a whipper-in, the court was told.
Mr Nicholls told the court he heard barking and a meow and went outside to see if it was one of his cats.
“I was lying on my bed watching TV when I heard an almighty rumble run past like a heard of elephants and I heard a cat meow, so I jumped up and ran into another room,” he said.
“I see some dog tails, so I knew something was wrong.”
Mr Nicholls said he grabbed his walking stick and went outside and saw Edward Sampson.
“He had a whip in his hand, and I saw the cat fall from the nose of the dog, and he was running and he scooped the body of the cat up off the road and flicked it straight over the hedge into my garden,” he said.
“I grabbed the stick just in case I had to beat the hounds off the cat, or they came at me.”
Asked what happened next, Mr Nicholls said: “He whipped the two hounds away and coming past me I said I’d seen what he had done, and he said, ‘I’m sorry, I’ll be back in a minute’.
“He then ran off and spoke to Carly next door, apologised to her and said he was sorry and then ran off towards the kennels being pursued by the bloke filming him.”
Mr Knight said he saw a group of hounds chasing the cat, which he said tried to jump over a fence to get away, before it was mauled by the pack.
“A man appeared who picked up the cat, looked around, which I perceived to be him looking for witnesses, then threw the black cat over the wooden fence into the back garden,” he said.
“I saw the man fleeing, so decided to follow him to get a clear shot of his face for the video. He said to me he was coming back once he had sorted out the hounds.”
Another neighbour, Leon Rosewall, said he saw hounds “mutilate” the cat before Edward Sampson appeared.
He said: “All in the same motion he ducked down very low and picked up the furry animal at which point I realised it was a cat and threw the cat over the fence.
“The cat appeared to be deceased when he threw it over the fence.”
A post-mortem examination confirmed Mini died as a result of being “grabbed and shaken” by at least one dog with death occurring “rapidly”.
Explaining the law of criminal damage, Mr Rendell said: “The prosecution say it is natural for some dogs to chase cats.
“The prosecution does not say that criminal liability is attached to the owner of every dog that does so.
“Being in charge of a large pack of hunting hounds carries a heavy responsibility due to the number of dogs and their hunting instinct.
“They were very close, within a few yards, of a residential estate with easily accessible fields.
“There was an obvious risk, the prosecution submits, to pets, children or vulnerable individuals who could be at risk of some harm from a group of dogs entering the estate.”
Sampson, of St Buryan, Penzance, Cornwall, denies charges of criminal damage and being the owner or person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control in a private or public place.
The trial continues.
