The moment police beat down a 79-year-old former lawyer’s door so the RSPCA could take her disabled cat has been captured on shocking video.
In her lawsuit against the RSCPA and Met officers, Dr. Katherine Theodotou claims that in March, after receiving a report that her 17-month-old black and white cat Rita was being mistreated, officers broke into her London house.
The former lawyer, who also owns an animal refuge close to Hertford, maintains that she was the target of a “malicious report” to the animal charity, which resulted in the issuance of a warrant and Rita’s detention.
Last week, Dr. Theodotou, who was suing for the return of her pet and damages related to her removal, learned that Rita had unexpectedly passed away in RSPCA foster care, and the dispute over her ownership had escalated into a fight over her remains.
Following a brief hearing at the High Court last week, Mr Justice Kimblin mandated that a joint post-mortem be performed by an independent veterinarian selected by Dr Theodotou and an RSPCA veterinarian.
Video footage of the police breaking into Rita’s north London home has now surfaced. It shows one cop using heavy equipment to batter in the door while several others, including RSPCA inspectors with a cat carrying cage, stand by, prepared to apprehend Rita.
The police and RSPCA are contesting the allegations made against them. According to Met lawyers, the officers just “lawfully executed a warrant of entry” to let the charity take Rita.
The attorney was born and educated in Cyprus before relocating to the UK. According to her LinkedIn page, she and her Islington-based law practice, Highgate Hill lawyers, earned numerous honours, including UK female of the year in probate law and human rights lawyer of the year.
However, once it was discovered that she had made “dishonest” claims while applying for professional insurance, she was removed off the UK solicitors’ register in 2022.
She also manages an animal refuge at Woodcock Lodge Farm, which is close to Hertford, and is the founder and honorary director of the Greek school of Islington.
During the previous hearing, the court was informed that Rita was born with a disability that prevented her from moving her rear legs. As a result, she experienced sporadic bladder infections.
According to Dr. Theodotou, Rita was receiving good care at home, getting regular medical attention, and gradually learning to walk on all four legs.
But after what she says was “a malicious report to the RSPCA regarding the welfare of Rita,” the charity was granted permission by a magistrates court to raid her residence with the help of the police and confiscate the contested cat.
“Dr. Theodotou did not understand the reasons for the attendance of so many uniformed police officers at the property and did not wish to allow them access,” Liam Wells, her attorney, stated.
“The officers of the Metropolitan Police proceeded to break down the front door to the property.” Dr. Theodotou was at home recuperating from recent breast cancer surgery when the RSPCA unexpectedly showed up with six Met Police officers.
When the police pulled Dr. Theodotou brutally to the ground and made hard contact with her injured chest, she was attempting to open the door to the private residence to prevent them from breaking it down.
Against Dr. Theodotou’s wishes, the RSPCA officials located Rita and took her off the farm.
Earlier this month, Dr. Theodotou’s attorneys requested an emergency injunction before Mrs. Justice Obi to prevent her cat from being put down before the case goes to trial.
However, the RSPCA, which maintained that it had done nothing wrong with Rita, stated that there was no intention to put the cat to death because it was already “flourishing” with foster caretakers.
After concluding that there was no “real or imminent risk of euthanasia,” Mrs. Justice Obi declined to grant the injunction. A magistrates court will decide the RSPCA’s request to acquire full ownership of Rita in a matter of days.
However, due to Rita’s untimely and unexpected death while in the RSPCA’s care, the magistrates’ court hearing was abruptly cancelled.
After being transported to the Royal Veterinary College, her body was frozen while a post mortem was performed.
In court last week, Dr. Theodotou, speaking on her own behalf, declared: “I have a right to her body or what remains of her body. She is my beloved feline. I spent a lot of time taking care of this animal, which I adore. It wasn’t necessary for six police officers to smash down the door at my house.”
“She makes it very clear she is attached to the cat and wishes it to be returned to her so that she may have undertaken a post-mortem by a veterinary surgeon of her choosing and for her to deal with the cat’s body in the way she sees fit,” Mr. Justice Kimblin stated in his ruling on the application. The RSPCA has the authority under the 2006 Animal Welfare Act to investigate a death, but Dr. Theodotou also has rights as her owner.
In my opinion, the best course of action in this case would be to order that neither the body of Rita the cat nor a post-mortem be disposed of until the RSPCA has given notice of the planned date and invited a veterinary surgeon who has been instructed by the claimant to attend jointly with the RSPCA to perform the post-mortem. This would allow both the claimant and the RSPCA to get the information they both need regarding the animal’s death, he stated.
Rita the cat’s remains might then be given back to the claimant.
In addition to damages for harassment and negligence against the RSPCA and assault, violence, trespass, and negligence against the Met Police, Dr. Theodotou’s initial lawsuit sought Rita’s return.
An ex-lawyer is suing the Metropolitan police and the RSPCA when her cat died, after it was placed in the charity’s care.
Katherine Theodotou (aged 79) specialises in Human Rights law, but was thrown off the list in 2022 in a decision by the SRA which included breaking accounting regulations.
Theodotou has a 17-month old cat, Rita, who was born handicapped, with major difficulties with her rear legs.
The RSPCA claimed it received a report from vets, who had treated the cat, and then acted in the “best interests” of the animal, by arranging for her to be removed away from Theodotou.
Theodotou, on the other hand, asserts that the report was “malicious” and that she had spoilt the cat and paid “large sums of money” for “safe and well” care, including special medical attention. She claimed that the cat didn’t need to be taken out of her house.
In order to take the cat, the former attorney said that six police officers broke through her front door and forcibly shoved her to the ground.
According to a Telegraph report, she filed a lawsuit for assault, battery, trespass, and negligence against the police in addition to a claim for damages against the RSPCA for harassment and carelessness.
The cat’s condition was “extremely concerning” when it was discovered, according to the RSPCA’s attorney at a prior hearing, and there had been a “significant deterioration since discharge, alongside evidence suggestive of prolonged inadequate hygiene, nursing care and monitoring within the home environment.”
The cat passed away while in the RSPCA’s custody a few days prior to the scheduled hearing before magistrates to decide who owned it.
Theodotou then initiated a claim to have the cat’s remains returned to her for a post-mortem examination.
But a judge rejected the ex-attorney’s plea, deciding that an independent veterinarian chosen by Theodotou and an RSPCA veterinarian should do a joint post mortem examination.
“In that way, both the claimant and the RSPCA have the opportunity to obtain the information they both seek in respect of the animal’s death,” concluded the judge. “Thereafter the remains of Rita the cat can be returned to the claimant.”
Officers “lawfully executed a warrant of entry into the claimant’s property” according to the Metropolitan Police.
RollOnFriday’s demands for comment were not answered by Theodotou, the Met Police, or the RSPCA.
Other animal-related tales in the legal field are typically a little more humorous, like this former attorney who became a pet psychic and the Travers Smith colleague who had kittens over some cats.