Hard to believe but after a number of court battles stretching over 3 years, an American cat owner has just been awarded £100k after their feline was wrongly fined for bad behaviour.

Yes, over a period of 6 years Washington-based Anna Danieli’s tabby Miska racked up £25,000 worth of fines and violations for allegedly roaming freely and scaring and killing other animals in the area.

Miska was even removed from Danieli’s care back in 2019 after animal control officers complained about the animal’s activities, but she has now reached a ‘historic’ settlement after a ruling agreed that Miska was innocent.

It was discovered that the animal control officers who made complaints about Miska actually lived in the same neighbourhood as Anna Danieli, who’s lawyer successfully asserted that the prosecution of the domestic cat was a government overreach as the City of Belleville had failed to properly update its code covering domestic cats. In addition to the £100,000 settlement the ruling has introduced changes to the way civil offences involving animals are heard. 

Only in America!

Of course being a Tuesday, Margaret Mills joined me for another of her trips back into the Essex of yesteryear.

This week Margaret was looking at an institution established in Harlow Tye aimed at reforming delinquent boys.

Although reportedly very successful, the establishment was not in operation for very long, being opened in 1856 but closed in 1879 due to a change in the law.

Listen again here to what Margaret had to say on this subject: –

I hope to have your company once more next week,
Scott