A retired couple from County Monaghan who captured their neighbour’s cat, placed it in a bag and abandoned it at a lake have each received three-month prison sentences, reports RTE.
67-yr-old Patrick Connolly and 64-year-old Bernie Connolly, of Alderwood in Carrickmacross, had both admitted at Monaghan District Court to carrying out an act of animal cruelty at their home on 13 May last year, reports RTE.
They also pleaded guilty to stealing a female cat on the same date.
The pair appeared before Monaghan District Court on Monday, where Judge Raymond Finnegan described the incident as “cruel” and “horrendous” treatment of a defenceless animal, reports RTE.
Sergeant Jim McGovern told the court that the couple’s neighbour went to Carrickmacross Garda Station on 13 May 2025 to report her pet cat missing.
She said the animal had been left in the garden that morning, but was gone when they returned home later, reports RTE.
She checked CCTV footage, which showed that at around 9.50am, Patrick Connolly had taken the cat from his patio.
Sgt McGovern said the footage showed Mr Connolly shaking out a white bag in his back garden, before later leaving the property with the bag alongside his wife, Bernie Connolly, reports RTE.
The footage showed the couple returning home shortly afterwards “empty handed”.
The sergeant said further CCTV was obtained after a search was carried out at the Connollys’ home under warrant, reports RTE.
In that footage, the cat could be seen being trapped inside the kitchen.
Patrick Connolly was observed lifting the cat from a counter and placing it into a white bag, which Bernie Connolly then tied with string, reports RTE.
They then left the house with the bag and returned a short time later.
The court heard that when initially questioned by Gardaí, the Connollys denied any knowledge of the cat, reports RTE.
However, they later admitted what they had done after the CCTV was reviewed, stating they had left the animal at Creevy lake, a few miles outside Carrickmacross.
Sgt McGovern said the owners located the cat there three days later, “in a very poor condition but alive”, reports RTE.
Barrister Sara Brennan, representing the Connollys, told the court that the parties involved were neighbours.
She said the cat had frequently entered the Connollys’ garden and defecated there, reports RTE.
The court heard that Bernie Connolly had left work several years earlier to care for her grandchildren, who had on occasions come into the house with cat dirt on their shoes and hands.
Ms Brennan said the couple had approached their neighbours on a number of occasions asking them to keep the cat out of their garden, but without success, reports RTE.
She said it was accepted her clients had acted in a way that was “exceptionally foolish”.
When Ms Brennan said the Connollys fully accepted they should not have acted as they did, Judge Finnegan remarked that they did not show that understanding when they initially denied involvement, reports RTE.
This was acknowledged by the defence, who said her clients may have panicked once they realised the seriousness of the situation.
She added that they were now offering a full apology and had brought €1,000 to court as compensation for their actions, reports RTE.
Referring to their ages, she said both were retired, and that Patrick Connolly had previously been Garda vetted for his role as a school lollipop man.
She described them as “a good, respectable couple”, reports RTE.
However, Judge Finnegan said they could not be considered respectable if they were capable of such actions towards an innocent animal.
He ordered that the Connollys be held in the court’s custody area while he considered the case, telling them: “You can see how you feel being trapped for a while,” reports RTE.
When delivering sentence, Judge Finnegan said he could not avoid imposing a custodial sentence.
He said the couple had taken an innocent animal, placed it in a bag and left it at the side of a lake before “leaving it to die”, reports RTE.
Their lawyer again asked the court to take into account their age and previously respectable way of life.
She accepted the seriousness of the offence but argued it was “entirely an aberration”, reports RTE.
She said that while their actions were serious, they were “clearly not thinking straight” at the time.
Judge Raymond Finnegan said their behaviour was “absolutely out of order”, reports RTE.
He described it as “cruel” and “horrendous”, adding that to treat an innocent animal in such a way, when it was simply behaving naturally, was “unspeakable”.
He said the defendants may have been unfortunate to appear before “an animal lover”, reports RTE.
However, Judge Finnegan said he would not tolerate such behaviour and sentenced both Patrick and Bernie Connolly to three months in prison for animal cruelty, with the theft charge taken into account.
They were granted permission to appeal, with recognisances for the appeal set at €250 in cash for each of them, reports RTE.
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