‘Death to Mary Bale’ Facebook page removed as cat bin woman says sorry
A WOMAN who was caught on CCTV dumping a cat in a wheelie bin said yesterday she was "profoundly sorry" for what she described as "a split second of misjudgment".
Footage of Mary Bale throwing four-year-old tabby Lola into a bin sparked an angry online campaign, with some animal lovers calling for her death on social networking site Facebook.
It also led to an investigation by the RSPCA, which planned to interview Bale later last night.
In a statement, Bale, 45, said: "I want to take this opportunity to apologise profusely for the upset and distress that my actions have caused. I cannot explain why I did this, it is completely out of character and I certainly did not intend to cause any distress to Lola or her owners."
The bank worker, from the Stoke area of Coventry, added: "It was a split second of misjudgment that has got completely out of control.
"I am due to meet with the RSPCA and police to discuss this matter further and will co-operate fully with their investigations.
"I wish to reiterate that I am profoundly sorry for my actions and wish to resolve this matter to everyone’s satisfaction as soon as possible."
Bale’s apology came after police revealed they were "closely monitoring" online threats to her. Hundreds of people posted angry messages on Facebook after a clip showing Lola being thrown into the bin was uploaded by her owners.
A spokeswoman for the social networking site said the group, entitled Death to Mary Bale, contravened Facebook’s terms of use.
Some used the site to publish Bale’s address, while others called for her to be violently punished. One Facebook user said she should be "repeatedly head butted", while another wrote: "She should be flogged to within an inch of her life, the evil bitch."
A Facebook spokeswoman said: "We can’t comment on individual cases for privacy reasons but I can tell you that one group, entitled Death to Mary Bale, has been removed today."
The spokeswoman said Facebook users were encouraged to report offensive comments posted on the site, adding that moderators would remove anything deemed to be a "credible threat".
West Midlands Police described some of the group’s content as "inflammatory and offensive".
A spokeswoman said: "We have monitored Facebook to assess any threat of harm to Mary Bale as part of this investigation. The investigation is being led by the RSPCA but obviously the other strand of this now is Mary Bale’s safety and we are looking at the potential impact of these messages.
"I would not go so far as to say we are investigating death threats, that is not the situation, but we are closely monitoring these groups and messages."
She added: "There are no plans to give any kind of formal police protection but we are talking to Mary Bale about her personal safety."
Earlier Bale had given an interview to The Sun newspaper in which she admitted binning the feline as "a joke", adding: "It’s only a cat."
The woman said people were "overreacting".
‘Death to Mary Bale’ Facebook page removed as cat bin woman says sorry | Irish Examiner