Ship's cat girl told to apologise

Kilo was rehoused on HMS Belfast with his brother Oscar

A 16-year-old girl has been ordered to write a letter of apology to the crew of HMS Belfast for drowning a cat which lived on the battleship.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty of animal cruelty last month.

Kilo the cat was thrown from a gangway that connects the ship to the dock between London Bridge and Tower Bridge, Camberwell Youth Court heard.

The judge gave the girl a nine-month supervision order over the drowning.

Kilo, who has not been seen since the incident on 9 February, was adopted by the ship's crew from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

The girl who denied the charge of cruelty was seen giggling during the trial and the sentencing.

District Judge Sue Green said: "The offence is one which has caused enormous distress not merely to staff of HMS Belfast but a lot of right-minded members of the public who were upset by your disgraceful behaviour."

She showed contempt for the legal process by laughing during the trial and today but hopefully she will learn from what happened Pc Scott Jarmy

The judge added that she expected the girl "whether she liked it or not to write a letter of apology to staff from HMS Belfast and I would like a copy of that letter sent to me".

After the order the girl said: "I don't know what to say, I'm sorry for what happened."

Pc Scott Jarmy said: "We were hoping for a brief custodial sentence.

"She showed contempt for the legal process by laughing during the trial and today [Friday] but hopefully she will learn from what happened."

During the trial the court heard that a security guard spotted the girl wearing a white hoodie throwing the cat overboard in the early hours.

The crew of HMS Belfast had adopted Kilo from a rescue shelter

She was with her boyfriend and another person at the time of the incident. She denied claims that all three were drinking heavily at the time.

The court also heard that the teenager's boyfriend had offered to take the blame for the drowning.

Battersea Dogs and Cats Home said Kilo and his brother Oscar were rehoused in the ship as part of a project in 2007.

A spokeswoman said: "We are pleased that the culprit was apprehended and convicted in court for this awful act of animal cruelty."

Oscar went missing sometime after Kilo's disappearance, Pc Jarmy said.