A WOMAN who was caught on CCTV dumping a cat in a wheelie bin was fined �250 today after pleading guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the animal.

Mary Bale, 45, from Coventry, became an international hate figure in August after footage emerged of her stroking the four-year-old tabby before picking it up and dropping it into the bin.

She admitted causing unnecessary suffering when she appeared at Coventry Magistrates’ Court today.

Bale, who appeared close to tears, was fined �250 plus a �15 victim surcharge and ordered to pay costs of �1,171.

She was also banned from keeping or owning animals for the next five years.

The court was told that Bale’s father was seriously ill at the time of the offence.