The case started after a woman lodged a complaint against an employee at a popular restaurant in Downtown Cairo, accusing him of deliberately killing a cat on 5 March.

The court found the defendant guilty after reviewing CCTV footage from the street a s well as hearing the testimony of witnesses who said they saw defendant throw the stray cat in front of a moving car.

The court handed down the maximum penalty of six months in prison to the defendant under Article 357 of the country's Penal Code, which criminalises killing or causing serious harm to animals intentionally.