A "vengeful" fruit picker has been jailed for 12 months for what has been described as the "savage, sadistic, malicious and brutal" bashing of a cat, that was recorded and shared online.
WARNING: This article contains details of the bashing, which some people may find distressing.
Max Loketi, 28, held the cat by the tail before repeatedly hitting it with a pole or stick and then slamming it with force onto the ground, where he again struck it a number of times.
Loketi then again picked up the animal by the leg and inflicted further violence on it before walking outside and hurling it away.
The bashing was recorded by a colleague and then uploaded to WhatsApp, where it was seen by Loketi's employer who reported it to police.
Loketi pleaded guilty to a charge of animal cruelty and the recording was played in the Perth Magistrates Court as part of Loketi's sentencing hearing.
His lawyer submitted that the 28-year-old knew his actions were wrong but said he had been angry at the time because the cat, which was feral, had attacked him.
Loketi 'acted out of malice'
However, RSPCA prosecutors described the treatment of the animal as sadistic, brutal, and savagely violent, arguing that only an immediate jail term was appropriate.
On Wednesday, Magistrate Joe Randazzo agreed, describing Loketi's actions as "breathtakingly appalling".
"In my judgement, your conduct was devoid and far removed from any proper sense of humane treatment of this cat.
"Your actions were vengeful for the cat's earlier conduct.
"Your actions were willed, deliberate and intentional. You acted out of malice."
The court heard it was likely the cat had died as a result of the beating, something Magistrate Randazzo described as "merciful" given the suffering the animal had been made to endure.
Magistrate Randazzo said a jail term was the only appropriate penalty because "this degree of cruelty to animals was completely unacceptable".
"Our community does not tolerate the torture and malicious beating of animals to the degree in this case," he said.
Mr Randazzo took into account that Loketi was previously of good character, had no prior record and that his time in custody would be burdensome because he spoke little English and was away from his family.
He imposed a 12-month term backdated to the end of April when Loketi was taken into custody.
A second man, Tevita Fifita Vaenuku, who is accused of making the recording, is yet to plead to the animal cruelty charge against him.
He is also being held in custody and is due back in court next month.
Jail term sends message: RSPCA
Hannah Dreaver from the RSPCA welcomed the sentence, saying it was the first time a prosecution by the organisation had resulted in a jail term being imposed.
"It's very significant and I think this just reflects how severe and malicious this beating was and the fact this poor animal had to suffer a fate that it did not have to go through, and that this animal would have suffered so seriously."
Ms Dreaver said she hoped the community would get the message that such cruelty was not acceptable.
"I think the community will be outraged to hear that it happened at all but I hope the community will be happy that that message has really been sent."
