johnnymk

By LAURIE MASON
phillyBurbs.com


Noting that the crime went "way, way beyond everything that a civilized society can tolerate," a Bucks County judge Thursday rejected a Bristol Township man's plea for probation and sentenced him to six to 23 months in prison for setting a cat on fire.

Daniel Culligan, 28, also must serve two years of probation after he's released from the county jail. Judge David Heckler ordered him to pay a $1,000 fine and complete 40 hours of community service.

"What you did was cruel," Heckler said. "You chose to do something that was certainly going to cause unimaginable agony to another living creature."

Culligan, of Bristol-Oxford Valley Road, apologized during the hearing in Doylestown, but didn't have an explanation for the December 2003 crime.

"This is not me," he told the judge. "This is not the type of person I am. I'm not a bad guy."

Culligan, a father of two, pleaded guilty in June to arson and cruelty to animals. He admitted spraying the 9-month-old cat, "Chica," with lighter fluid, igniting the fluid with a match and throwing the burning animal off a second-story balcony.

The cat, its fur ablaze, ran blindly into the screen door of an adjacent apartment. The residents put out the fire and rushed the kitten to a veterinarian, but the animal could not be saved and had to be euthanized.

A tipster led police to Culligan in January. During questioning, police records say Culligan asked the officers, "What's the big deal? Everyone has hurt cats or squirrels."

Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Buck said Culligan's attitude toward the crime, as well as his failure in court Thursday to explain why he did it, shows the judge made the right call in sending him to jail.

"It's not as if this was a momentary lapse in his judgment," Buck said. "He didn't just lose his temper and hit the cat. This was just so cruel and deliberate."



When he pleaded guilty, Culligan, through his lawyer, offered to do community service at an animal shelter to atone for his actions.

Anne Irwin, executive director of the county SPCA, said she had mixed feelings about that, but noted Culligan could serve in a capacity that didn't put him in direct contact with animals - a clerical job, for example.

Irwin, who joined a handful of animal activists at Thursday's hearing, said she's satisfied with the sentence.

"I'm especially pleased with the judge's remarks. I think he sent an excellent message," she said.

Culligan's lawyer called the jail sentence "harsh," noting his client has no prior criminal record.

"The judge took a hard line toward him. He's a hard-working man who supports his family. He is unlikely to repeat this behavior. He deserves another chance," Raymond Geary said.

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seqiro

That's just sick.

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Jenny

Glad he had to go to jail tho. I hope he's butt-raped the entire time.

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Maarchk

how about they just light him on fire and toss him off a building?

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ski

Do you think if someone found a man frying ants with a magnifying glass, he would get the same sentence?

I hate the double standard.

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And closer...

Jenny

How can you even compare those 2 things? That's just idiotic!

ialsohaveadream

The judge was right. This was something the guy did for sh*ts and giggles, and it involved planning.

It might be better for him to be in jail than to be at home teaching his kids how to be an ass.

johnnymk

nickel

that's how Jeffrey Dahmer started - by torturing animals.

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ski

What on Earth do you mean? Are they not both animals? Okay, mayble the fact they they're in a different phylum is getting you. You think it's idiotic for me to compare them, I think it's idiotic for you not to try to understand what I am saying.

Do you think a man that tortured a mouse would get the same punishment? What I'm trying to say is that they need to do one of two things:

1) Apply this same harsh punishment to people who fry ants, torture mice, etc.
2) Create a ranking of animals that will get you different levels of punishment. I love cats, but just because they're cute and cuddly, I think he got a much harsher punishment than if he tortured a mouse.

And I'm fine if some of you don't understand that, but it's darn clear to me that there are people who abuse lesser liked animals that get away with it.