Suspect in abuse of cat turns himself in

KENT, England, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- A 20-year-old man accused of repeatedly swinging a cat by its tail in Kent, England, turned himself in Friday, police said.

The Daily Mail reported Riain Richards, who went to the Margate police station, had been identified as the suspect after a video captured a man swinging the cat outside a pub in Ramsgate, Kent.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which promotes animal welfare, had been flooded with calls from people identifying Richards, the Daily Mail said.

The images, caught by a camera outside the pub Oct. 29, showed the 2-year-old tomcat Mowgli being swung around 14 times by its tail near railings and cars and its head nearly hit the pavement. Three friends encouraged the man swinging the cat, the Mail said.

Mowgli's owner, Michelle Buchanan, took the cat to a vet and learned he almost lost his tale but was not seriously injured.

"He hasn't gone out of the flat since. He just sits on my bed or the sofa," said Buchanan, a 43-year-old information technology teacher. "He's had a terrifying ordeal. He is seriously distressed. I just can't believe anyone would do this."

If convicted of animal cruelty under the Animal Welfare Act, Richards could face a maximum penalty of six months in jail and fine of more than $31,000.