| Hamster being fed marijuana |
A cruel man will no longer be able to abuse animals after being caught feeding drugs to a hamster, according to police in the United Kingdom.
23-year-old Nchinumya Ntembe of Lancaster, has been jailed for four months after video emerged, showing him feeding the hamster drugs, and causing unnecessary suffering and failing to meet the needs of two dogs.
Ntembe of Cypress Road, appeared at Lancaster Magistrates’ Court via video link from prison, where he is serving a sentence for other crimes.
Police launched an investigation after seeing the video that showed Ntembe adding LSD to a bottle before feeding it to the hamster named Mr. Chow.
The video also showed Mr. Chow being given marijuana leaves to eat.
RSPCA inspector Sarah Hayland said: “It’s clear that Ntembe and the other man involved with the hamster incident – who has already been dealt with – are aware that what they are doing could cause Mr. Chow suffering.
“They can be heard saying things like ‘This could be the end for Mr. Chow,’ and egging each other on to give him more drugs.
“There were three dogs at the property – two of them belonging to Ntembe and one to another person.
“Ntembe’s dogs Zeus and Faith, were in a terrible state. Zeus’ face was so swollen it was a completely different shape to the shape it should have been and both were very thin and living in filth.”
Ntembe pleaded guilty to five offenses under the Animal Welfare Act at a hearing last month, including causing unnecessary suffering and causing a poisonous or injurious drug to be given to an animal.
Yesterday he was sentenced to four months in prison to run concurrent to the sentence he is already serving, and disqualified from keeping animals for eight years.
The animals have been handed over to the custody of the RSPCA.