A man slit a cat's throat with a razor blade after breaking its leg then claimed to have walked six miles in order to bury it.
Adam Neil Alkour sliced the female cat's throat with a razor blade in order to hide the fact he broke her leg, Newcastle Magistrates' Court heard on Friday. The 32-year-old then messaged a friend to confess what he'd done, telling them he'd "freaked out" and was "on the verge of a nervous breakdown". His friend subsequently contacted the RSPCA and Alkour was later questioned.
Alkour, of Heaton Park Road, Heaton, Newcastle, appeared at the court charged with causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and two counts of a charge relating to failing to protect an animal from pain and providing veterinary care. The offences were committed between November 17 and 27 last year and he had pleaded guilty at a previous hearing.
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The court heard that the black and white female cat named Darwin had been left in Alkour's care by others who could no longer care for her. But after breaking her leg, he decided to take the drastic step of killing her, rather than taking her to a vet.
Alex Bousfield, prosecuting, said it was a "deliberate attempt to kill an animal because he wanted to hide the fact he had broken its leg". He said: "It's clear from messages that he sent to a friend saying what happened and that he wanted to kill it as he didn't want to get caught". He said that the incident would have caused "significant pain" to Darwin and said what he did was "completely unnecessary".
The court heard that after killing Darwin, Alkour messaged a friend where he said he had been "on the verge of a nervous breakdown" and ended up breaking her leg after hitting her. He said he "freaked the f*** out" before claiming to have "walked six miles to bury her" after he "came back down to earth".
Jonathan Cousins, defending, said the messages Alkour sent showed "remorse". He said: "He couldn't live with the guilt of what he'd done. He said 'I hate myself to the highest degree'." Alkour's friend then went to the RSPCA and relayed what he'd been told. The RSPCA then went to speak with Alkour in January where he made full admissions.
The court heard Alkour said he deeply regrets what he did "with the deepest part of my heart". Mr Cousins said that Alkour had grown up in the care system and had suffered neglect and abuse in his life, as well as homelessness. As a result, he suffers from PTSD and other issues, the court was told.
Due to the severity of the charges, the case was sent to Newcastle Crown Court, where Alkour will appear and be sentenced on Friday, September 9. He was granted unconditional bail until his next appearance.
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