Lib Dem MP's wife accused of stealing kitten from her husband's mistress

A Lib Dem MP's wife has appeared in court accused of stealing a kitten - from the woman who got her claws into her husband.

Christine Hemming, 52, allegedly burgled the home of 32-year-old Emily Cox in September and took a tabby called Beauty.

MP John Hemming, 50, fathered a daughter with researcher Miss Cox five years ago.

When magistrates asked Christine if she wanted to be called Mrs or Miss, she said: "I'm not quite sure at the moment."

She did not enter a plea and the case has been ordered to go to crown court.

But after the hearing, Christine admitted she had been in the house and taken the £20 cat.

She said: "In retrospect it was a mistake. I put myself in harm's way. I should not have gone.

"I knew she wasn't in. I just went there, bent down and picked up the cat and then I thought it was about time to leave the house and I took the cat but it was not the reason I went there. I'd like to make it up with the offer of another cat.

"It was only a young cat and a relationship had not developed that much. I'm prepared to buy a similar kitten."

She added: "Relations between Emily and I have never been good. They should have improved but deteriorated significantly."

 Mr Hemming still lives with his wife in Moseley, Birmingham, but yesterday described his domestic status as "unclear".

And last night he arrived at the nearby home of Miss Cox, a Lib Dem city councillor, with their daughter, Isabel.

Mr Hemming said: "I'd just like the cat back. I've spent time looking for the kitten. Her brother, Twinkle, is pining for her."

The Birmingham Yardley MP had earlier posted a picture of missing Beauty on his blog with a message saying: "If anyone has seen this kitten please contact me at the House of Commons. There's a reward for its return."

Recruitment agency boss Christine was released on bail yesterday on condition she does not contact Miss Cox.

When Christine found out about the relationship in 2005, she stood by her millionaire husband and said that the six-year affair was "about number 26". Source: The Mirror

Wheelie bin cat dumping woman fined £250

Mary Bale. Source: The Guardian

A bank worker who sparked international outrage after dumping a cat in a wheelie bin has been fined just £250 after a judge declared that public vilification was punishment enough.

Mary Bale, 45, became a hate figure when she was caught on CCTV stroking the four-year-old tabby before picking it up by the scruff of its neck, dropping it into the bin and closing the lid.

She appeared close to tears as she admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the animal at Coventry Magistrates' Court.

A second charge of failing to provide the cat with a suitable environment, contrary to the 2006 Animal Welfare Act, was dropped.

District Judge Caroline Goulborn told Bale that she could potentially have caused substantial harm to the cat, but acknowledged that in reality it had not been hurt.

Handing down the fine, she said: "The media interest in this case has resulted in you being vilified in some quarters and I have taken that into account."

Judge Goulborn, who was told Bale's elderly father was gravely ill at the time, added: "I accept that you were in a stressful situation at the time, but that's no excuse for what you did."

Bale was also ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge and legal costs of £1,171.4. She was banned from keeping or owning animals for the next five years.

The court heard that Bale - who had faced a maximum fine of £20,000 or up six months' imprisonment - could provide no answer as to why she had acted in such an "impulsive and irrational" way.

She has resigned from her job as a result of the incident and has also been suffering from depression. Bale, whose father died last Thursday, left the court without comment.

RSPCA Inspector Nicola Foster said she hoped the case would act as a deterrent to anyone who feels it is acceptable to mistreat animals.

She added: "This was a deliberate act and could have had far worse consequences as the defendant had no way of knowing if there was anything like broken glass in the bin, nor how long the cat would be there before she was found, nor if the bin was due to be emptied.

"We are pleased that the Court agreed that a complete disregard was shown for the cat's welfare and that the cat suffered/cat's needs were not met as a result of being stuck inside the bin for so many hours."

Bale was caught in August after footage showed her approaching the cat, called Lola, who was sitting on a garden wall. Bale looked both ways before picking her up and dumping her in the bin.

The terrified animal was trapped for 15 hours before her owners Stephanie Andrews-Mann, 24, and husband Darryl, 26, finally found her the following morning.

The couple then reviewed CCTV and posted a 1:27 video of the callous incident on YouTube in a bid to catch the culprit.

Bale, who lives alone in a terraced property in Coventry, was identified within a matter of days and was forced into hiding after she found herself at the centre of a public outcry.

She was signed off work and two PCSOs from West Midlands Police guarded her house.

A Facebook page set up by Mr and Mrs Andrews-Mann to identify the person responsible received tens of thousands of followers with many angry cat lovers posting threats against her.

A group called Death to Mary Bale was swiftly removed by moderators of the social networking site.

She initially said she binned the feline as ''a joke'', adding: ''It's only a cat.'' But she apologised and described it as "a split second of misjudgement that has got completely out of control."

Outside court, David Murray, defending, stressed that Bale wished to apologise for her actions and "bitterly regretted" what she had done.

He said: ""Despite a lengthy period of soul-searching she cannot still explain her behaviour and wishes to again repeat her apology to the owners of Lola.

"For a moment's aberration she has paid a significant price. She has received hate-mail, abusive telephone messages and death threats.

"Sadly, her father passed away last Thursday and she now wishes to be with her mother and family and offer them support during this period of grief." Source: Telegraph.co.uk

Pink Panther: Woman admits to dying her kitty pink

A cat found with pink fur and found by the RSPCA was dyed pink by her owner who wanted its fur to match her hair. Defiant Natasha Gregory said she was proud of her actions - and would even do it again.

The 22-year-old mother-of-two admitted using food colouring to turn the short-haired cat's fur a vivid shade of pink.

The fluorescent feline, named Oi! Kitty, is now so bright that she glows in the dark.

She told the Daily Mail: "It's my favourite colour, I just love it."

"I've dyed my own hair pink and I adore wearing pink clothes. Turning Oi! Kitty pink just seemed like a good idea."

Oi! Kitty's shocking appearance sparked an RSPCA investigation after she was found roaming in a back garden.

A nationwide appeal was launched to find the person responsible for dyeing her white fur, with animal welfare officers believing it was a sick prank.

But after seeing the widespread media coverage, Natasha contacted officials to claim back her pet, which had gone missing days before.

The self-described 'animal lover' who lives with her boyfriend of five years Michael Dennis, along with his daughter and their own two children, then confessed to dyeing the cat pink.

"I read the instructions on the bottle of food colouring and there was nothing to say that it was harmful to humans or animals. We eat the food the dye is used on, so I knew it wasn't toxic.

"I just poured some of the liquid over my hands and robbed them together and then over the cat. I was careful to avoid her face and eyes though.

"She didn't seem to mind and I think she looked lovely.

"I have contacted the RSPCA to get her back and the lady I spoke to said she didn't think it would be a problem. But I'm going to have to wait until they go back to work today."

Despite being branded cruel by vet Penny Gillespie, who has been caring for the cat since she was found in a back garden, Natasha Gregory said she doesn't regret doing it.

"People have made this massive cruelty thing out of just food colouring. People do it to dogs. You often see it with dogs on TV so what's the difference with a cat?

"I would never hurt an animal. It's just food colourant. I would never put proper dye on an animal but I know food colourant is alright."

Woman tries to smuggle tiger cub on plane in luggage

A two-month-old tiger cub was found sedated and hidden among stuffed-tiger toys recently in the luggage of a woman at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

The World Wildlife Foundation reports the 31-year-old Thai national was scheduled to board a Mahan Air flight destined for Iran when she had trouble checking in her oversized bag.

Airports of Thailand staff suspected something amiss when they scanned the bag and x-ray images showed an item resembling a real cat.

Officers from the Livestock Development Department and the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department were then called in to open the bag for inspection and discovered the tranquilized cub.

Investigations are underway to determine if the cub was wild caught or captive-bred, where it came from and the suspect's intended final destination.