A woman has been jailed for a year after being filmed cutting her living hamster ‘Mr Nibbles’ in half before eating it.
Emma Parker, 39, admitted a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court on Wednesday.
The court was told that Parker was videoed cutting her pet hamster in half while it was still alive in mid-May.
The footage was then circulated online, prompting an RSPCA investigation. A vet who watched the video described it as deeply disturbing.
Mr Nibbles would have suffered both physical and psychological damage because hamsters were prey animals and could feel fear, the vet added.
Parker, of Belvoir Gardens in Great Gonerby, told police in an interview that she was trying to help the hamster die after it had been bitten by one of her dogs.
She said the incident took place at her home in mid-May but would not tell detectives who filmed it.
"They are not nice people”, she said.
Judge James House KC, passing sentence, told Parker it was “abhorrent” she had inflicted such violence on a defenceless animal for the apparent entertainment of others.
"The hamster was injured at least twice and then while still alive cut in half," the judge told the court.
"You are then seen holding a bottle of water and then eating the two halves of the dissected hamster."
Two videos of Parker were circulated online. The first, 27 seconds long, showed her prodding a hamster ball with a large knife while Mr Nibbles was inside.
She then cut the rodent in half. A second clip showed her eating the two pieces of the hamster with a bottle of water in her hand.
Parker was also banned from keeping animals for 15 years.
The RSPCA said it was revolted by the attack and thanked the police for their support in the investigation.
"This type of cruelty has no place in today’s society and was a heartless vicious attack on a defenceless animal,” RSPCA inspector Andy Bostock said.
"It has been upsetting and disturbing for everyone who has been involved in this case.”
The court was told that Parker, who was addicted to Class A drugs, had been ‘cuckoed’ by a dealer who lived nearby and was under instruction when the clip was filmed.
Cuckooing is practice where drug dealers take over a person’s home and use it for their illicit activities.
