A man has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for beating a cat to death at a tourist complex in Puerto Rico, in the municipality of Mogán, south-west Gran Canaria.

The ruling was handed down by a court in San Bartolomé de Tirajana following a fast-track trial relating to the incident, which took place on 30th August 2025. The court found the man criminally responsible for the animal's death.

According to the proven facts of the case, the incident happened at around 6:00pm while the man was walking through the communal areas of the tourist complex. When he came across the cat, named Milú, he repeatedly beat it on the head with a bunch of keys.

The cat died at the complex as a result of a haemorrhage caused by the attack. The man was arrested shortly afterwards by officers from the Guardia Civil's nature protection unit, Seprona.

Following an agreement between prosecutors and the defence, the court sentenced him to 16 months in prison for animal cruelty. However, the prison sentence has been suspended pending the execution phase of the ruling, with time already spent in custody being taken into account.

In addition, he has been banned for two years and eight months from owning animals or working in any profession, trade or business involving animals.

The court also ordered him to pay €77 in compensation to the community of property owners to cover the cost of the post-mortem examination carried out on the cat.