A SICK yob who 'fed' a live cat to his pet dog was today starting a four-month custody term.
Cruel Callum Myers, 18, of Ibbotson Flats, Southgate, was locked up after pleading guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal on March 15 at the rear of Clifton Road, Marsh.
Hooded Myers was also banned from owning an animal for 20 years.
Magistrates in Huddersfield stared in horror as the court was played CCTV showing Myers dangling the defenceless tabby cat, called Tigger, to his Staffordshire bull terrier, Gypsy.
Myers committed the act while out on licence for robbery. He had been sentenced in January 2004 to 42 months in a young offenders' institute.
Myers' dog, was put down by the RSPCA for fear it would attack another animal.
Prosecuting Tanya Forret described Myers' actions as "an act of pure malevolence".
As the horrific images played, Miss Foret said the defendant allowed the dog to chase the cat. When the cat jumped on the fence for its safety, the defendant tried to entice the cat down before pulling it off the fence.
Miss Forret said: "The defendant's response was to walk away while the dog savaged the cat."
She added Myers had squared up to Graeme Marsh after Mr Marsh intervened into an attempt get the dog off the cat.
Miss Forret said: "To say Mr Marsh was traumatised is an understatement. The defendant was literally in his face. You can see the defendant simply walks away.
"The defendant knew the dog was violent. He was very unco-operative with police. He denied having a black and white dog. The defendant didn't show any genuine remorse for what had happened."
Mitigating, Neil Murphy said: "My client accepted this incident was a serious one.
"He accepted he should have taken some action. He accepted that his actions were cowardly.
"He has apologised to the owner and the gentleman who intervened. He accepted his behaviour was wholly unacceptable but he didn't go out of his way to maliciously hurt the cat."
Myers looked impassive as bench chairman Stuart Blakey passed sentence.
Mr Blakey said: "I consider this to be one of the worst, if not, the worst incident of this type to come before this court.
"The incident is so serious you will go to a detention centre for four months. Had you not pleaded guilty it could have been the maximum sentence of six months.
"It was clear to us that there was serious suffering to the cat prior to its death. It was horrible and you stood by and watched and did nothing to prevent it. In fact, you even confronted the man who intervened to prevent it.
"It is for these reasons we are imposing the maximum sentence the law allows."
RSPCA Inspector Susie Micallef said: "This was an horrific incident that outraged everyone in the area as it could easily have been avoided.
"The sentence shows that the court recognises the seriousness of the crime and the appallingly cruel way in which Tigger was allowed to die."
