Scunthorpe woman ends up in court after throwing brick through window to rescue trapped cat
A WOMAN hurled a brick through the window of her former home after fearing a cat was still trapped inside, a court heard.
Kathryn Reed, 44, of Rochester Close, Scunthorpe, admitted damaging a window, belonging to North Lincolnshire Homes, on May 3.
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District Judge Daniel Curtis
Nick Wyman, prosecuting, told North Lincolnshire Magistrates' Court Reed had been evicted from her then home in Robinson Close, Scunthorpe, because of rent arrears topping £3,000.
She lobbed a brick through a window, believing she had left a cat inside the premises and wanting to retrieve it, he said.
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Richard Lunn, mitigating, said Reed had no previous convictions, made full and frank admissions and spent a spell in custody.
Reed was given an absolute discharge, which is a conviction, after District Judge Daniel Curtis said he believed police should have given her a caution for the matter.
But he added: "You shouldn't have thrown a brick through this window. It wasn't your property."
Comments
by ironite
Tuesday, November 27 2012, 4:52PM
“Silly ****...cat's are cat shaped, so how did she expect a cat to fit through a brick shaped hole in a window?”
by scabs
Tuesday, November 27 2012, 4:19PM
“SCUNTHORPE CAMPAIGN AGAINST BENEFIT SANCTIONS
BEDROOM TAX
Estimated number of affected claimants:
68% of Housing benefit claimants are in the social rented sector.
660,000 working-age social tenants, this equates to:
540,000 with one additional bedroom (81%)
120,000 with two or more bedrooms (19%)
Particularly concerning for:
Separated parents: where the care of children is shared, only the designated main carer will receive the benefit.
Couples who use 'spare' bedroom when recovering from illnesses or operations.
Foster carers: Foster children are not counted as part of the household for benefit purposes.
Those who live in rural areas where there are fewer suitable smaller properties to move into.
Those who live in areas with limited social housing.
Couples where one person is below the qualifying age for state Pension Credit (61) but one is not; in this case the additional tax will apply until both reach the qualifying age.
How much will people lose?
The cut is a fixed percentage of Housing Benefit:
14% for one extra bedroom.
25% for two or more extra bedrooms.
This equates to:
Average weekly loss of £14.
Average weekly loss of £22 for those with two or more additional bedrooms.
Average annual loss of £728.
Average annual loss of £1144 for those with two or more additional bedrooms.
There are many unanswered questions regarding the 'Bedroom Tax'we would like answered. The most fundamental of these is the question of how the Government's aim of coercing people to move into smaller properties is to be achieved when there is such a significant shortage of social housing properties of any size.”
by Haslam91
Tuesday, November 27 2012, 9:31AM
“Oh HattyTood - free rent housing for the homeless? probably not if she is a born & bred british citizen!”
by TFiLive
Monday, November 26 2012, 4:44PM
“I wonder if anyone asked her if she actually had a cat?”
by Mozart
Monday, November 26 2012, 1:32PM
“What beats mean is that once it reached say £1000 arrears the money wasn't stopped from her wages/benefits or whatever!”
by HattyTood
Monday, November 26 2012, 11:23AM
“evicted for owing £3000 rent
now meets the criteria to be placed (free of rent) in one of those new housing places being built for the homeless
world gone mad”
by gordonio
Monday, November 26 2012, 11:10AM
“How on earth was she allowed to owe £3,000 in rent arrears before being evicted? What a load of twaddle, she knew damn well there was no cat in the property, just having a hissy fit at being shown the door. The only cat she deserves to find is one with nine tails!”
by scunnyexile
Monday, November 26 2012, 10:22AM
“Common sense from the judge but the rest of them......oh dear.”
by KirstyandPhil
Monday, November 26 2012, 10:13AM
“Only in Scunthorpe!!?? ;)”
by ewbfchamp
Monday, November 26 2012, 10:06AM
“What a waste of time and money - hope she found the cat !”