Cat saves owner from prison in Russia

A court in Siberia (Russia) has given a criminal defendant a suspended sentence because of the mitigating circumstance of… having a cat.

According to Russian media, this is the first time in the country's judiciary that keeping cats has been considered a mitigating circumstance for a defendant.

The defendant's sentence was reduced because he was a cat owner.

RT reported on November 19 that the 48-year-old defendant in the Siberian city of Kemerovo was charged with assault and illegal possession of a weapon. The charges relate to an incident in September, when he drunkenly attacked another person and pulled out a gun.

The suspect was arrested by police and cooperated with the investigation, pleaded guilty and appeared in court. The judge found the defendant guilty on all charges, including some that carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

However, the defendant was eventually given a suspended sentence due to several mitigating circumstances, including poor health, cooperation with investigators and cat ownership.

Local media reported that cat ownership has never been considered a mitigating circumstance in Russian criminal law. Defendants are usually granted partial leniency if they have young children or are caring for relatives. The Russian court did not comment on the decision, according to RT.

(According to Thanh Nien, November 20)

Source: https://baovinhphuc.com.vn/Multimedia/Images/Id/102676/Meo-cuu-chu-khoi-an-tu-tai-Nga