In Thanet we would love to see the world's spotlight on our towns but the publicity that went viral because some local thought it would be funny to torment a cat is not it.

"Room to swing a cat" is an expression indicative of available space not a suggestion numb nuts.



The man in the video is, according to The Telegraph 20-year-old Riain Richards acting like an utter idiot and bring shame on Ramsgate and Thanet in general.

We have a lot against us in this area so the last thing we need is someone doing something spiteful, evil and dumb to some defenceless creature. It only takes one bad apple to spoil things for everyone and in this case it was a 20 year old lout.

The upside, if there can be said to be an upside, is that Mr Richards "fame" means that no matter where he goes in the world there is a chance that someone will recognise him. Which means that regardless of if he is prosecuted he may spend a very long time being reminded that he should be regretting his actions. As his brother is alleged to have said he's an idiot.

The cat in question apparently suffered no real physical harm although is said to be traumatised by the experience.

But there is a winder issue - what on earth posses an otherwise sane young man to do something so pointless and unpleasant?

Why do such harm?

I find it hard to believe that this was a case of boredom here. It was 8:30am so a little late to still be drinking and a time when most of us are going to work or wishing we had work to go to.

My experience oft he board and the restless is that at that time in the morning they are a sleep but I have been known to be wrong.

Having spoken to a number of youngsters in the Millmead area the complaint is (with some justification) that there is "bugger all to do" and the area is "too small" (thus lacking anywhere to go). However the problems this sort of boredom tends to generate are far too many "games" of knock-down-ginger (ringing bells and running away) and other mild nuisance behaviour that can quickly be cured by the provision of something to fill the time of the youngsters in question.

This is a violence of a cowardly and different nature to the mostly non-destructive aimlessness that plague the less well to do areas of Thanet. I say mostly non destructive as Will Scobie discovered things can sometimes get out of control with acts of destruction such as the deliberate vandalism and fires at the Dane Valley allotments.

I am left asking the question: What fuels such aggression? Boredom itself is not to blame here as purely bored people tend to simply make a pest of themselves until they find something better to do. Violence on the other hand...

So are we likely to see more of this stupid and destructive behaviour in the coming months? (I hope not).