We have another man charged this week after posting pictures on Facebook. In the case of Andre Robinson, 22, his defense has outraged people as much as his crime. After being shown luring a stray cat over and then viciously kicking it, Robinson essentially insists that no animals were harmed in the making of his film. The prosecutors say that the cat was kicked some 20 feet. His team challenged the prosecutors to prove that the cat was actually injured.
Robinson is shown in the film luring the cat over to be petted before punting it into some bushes outside a Brooklyn housing complex. He then laughs and does a little dance in celebration. Robinson, who has eight prior arrests, was charged with aggravated animal cruelty.
His team filed the motion to dismiss on the basis of the missing cat and proof of injury. Defense lawyer Risa Procton argues “The accusatory instrument fails to allege any injury or pain experienced by the cat.”
Procton is clearly doing her duty to represent her client zealously in a very difficult case so this is not a criticism of her or her team. However, the film should allow for a presumption of harm under any objective standard. The kitten, King, was captured three days after the attack, treated at an ASPCA hospital and then adopted.
For his party, Robinson insists “It was just a spur of the moment, it just happened . . . I shouldn’t have done it.” We can all agree with part of that statement. The problem is that people like Robinson who enjoy harming animals lacks an essential humanity that, in my opinion, makes them a danger to animals and humans alike. Robinson’s laughing and dancing was a disturbing as his disgraceful attack.
It is not clear what the prior arrests are for on Robinson’s rap sheet though some reports mention busts for robbery and turnstile-jumping.
The video (shown on this site) clearly shows an accomplice who is laughing loudly at the cruelty to the cat. It is not clear why that person has not been also charged. In my view, both deserve criminal charges and Robinson most certainly deserves some jail time.
Source: New York Times
My Son used to put them in dryers when my back was turned but he turned out okay…. I think
happypappies – how old was he and were they wet?
trish, There is another perspective. I worked in a juvenile court in a major city. I saw abuse of HUMANS that still haunt me. I like animals. I LOVE humans. I don’t like abuse of animals. I despise abuse of children and humans. You must walk in a person’s shoes before you judge them.
There is a reason why one of the signs of psychopathic tendencies is the urge to harm animals.
Wait a minute – so if he had drowned the cat and disposed of her body, there wouldn’t be a case unless the body was recovered?
What a jerk. I hope he gets housed with a lot of animal lovers in prison.
Since he keeps getting arrested, clearly he’s uninterested in functioning in society.
What about my comments Trish?
Trish, I to was surprised about some of the comments here. I thought this blog attracted those with higher standards.
Wouldn’t that fall under harassment and/or animal cruelty? X-Rays of the cats should have been taken from the defenders to see if the animal was in fact injured.
This is also another case of male bullying of something to small t defend itself.
I say the guy is Guilty!!
Good post. But the commenters. Wow. Barring one, seems a bunch of grossly insensitive, dismissive, juvenile men (I’m guessing). Hey guys, just unable to empathize for an animal that doesn’t enter in a meaningful way into YOUR lives? To indeed think outside your own limited lives? One can see reading a couple of these comments why this kind of cruel behavior happens. Pathetic.
What you do here to resolve the issue of injury to the cat is this. Have a video deposition of the defendant. He has made an assertion that the cat was not injured by his kick. Therefore he has waived his right to silence and must speak to assert his defense. Have a video camera at the deposition. Take his name and dumb serial number and then have the cat brought in the room in a box so it can not see the perp until it is let out of the box right in front of perp on the table there. If the cat is upset at seeing the perp then we know that the perp traumatized the cat. The mental anguish is enough injury to satisfy the criminal charge. The cat does not need to still have a broken rib or bruised liver. Then, after the cat does its act. Have a big guy in a Catman outfit come in the room and kick the itShay out of the perp. All on video. Turnabout is fair play. Back home on Remulak we would have killed this perp already. Our ruler is a cat. His name is Sir Cat Man Due. I am not talking about Nepal here but Remulak.
War on Woman!
Or at least pussy.
Hmmmmmm.
Can’t we just kick the guy 20 feet and call it a day. I’m good with it…
LOL!
A legal question?
When protected classes clash who gets the right of way?
Thank you.
The human cat kicker needs an arse whipping. What kind of society is it in NYC? No one has stepped forward to whip his arse. Thirty lashes and then make him walk the plank. If he cant walk just throw him overboard.
The problem is that people like Robinson who enjoy harming animals lacks an essential humanity that, in my opinion, makes them a danger to animals and humans alike.
Exactly. The callousness and joy in harming an innocent and trusting animal is disturbing. It shows that lack of humanity. I wouldn’t, of course, recommend locking someone up based on a single incident, however, I would recommend that he (and others who are similarly humanity challenged) require some close monitoring for the protection of the rest of us.
Ya think?
Our conclusions are a little different.
“Forget it Jake, it’s Brooklyn.” Trooper, great minds think alike.
Besides, the cat was missing for three days. Who knows what it got into during that period? Just who is to blame for the injuries to the cat? For example, my neighbor’s cats like to taunt my dog. Periodically, they get in the yard and the dog goes after them. The dog is surprisingly fast.
I think the defendant may have a legitimate claim here. When I was in college, one of my college-mates dropped a cat from the 3rd story of the dorm to see if it would land on its feet, it did. It is my anecdotal experience, based on one anecdote, that cats can fly.