Mary Bale was a 45-year-old single bank worker who suddenly became known around the world when she was spotted on CCTV putting a cat into a wheelie bin
A woman who was hounded online after she was seen in an infamous viral video putting a cat into a bin has never “never got over her notoriety” after the incident.
Mary Bale was a 45-year-old single bank worker when she was spotted in CCTV walking down a street and suddenly stopping to stroke a nearby cat. She then looked around, before suddenly grabbing the innocent cat by the neck and firmly putting the poor creature inside a wheelie bin.
The incident in 2010 caused uproar online and changed Ms Bale’s life forever. The cat, Lola, was seemingly unaffected by the incident and lived a happy life until the age of 16, dying around five years ago.
Still known around the world as the ‘Cat Bin Lady’, Ms Bale is reportedly now a recluse in the suburban area of Coventry, where she still lives to this day. Some of her neighbours are apparently unaware they live near a woman who was once the focus of the ire of internet users.
Her neighbour, speaking anonymously to the Daily Mail, said she has known Ms Bale through the years after the incident.
“She was vilified by people across the world,” they said. “Most people have long forgotten it but not everyone and she doesn’t feel forgiven.”
The source said Ms Bale resigned from her job and “never reestablished a proper career”.
They added: “She leads a very, very quiet life now and rarely speaks to anyone. I think she remains deeply embarrassed and thinks that’s all she will ever be known for.”
Another neighbour, Diana, said the incident had “plagued” Ms Bale and she had “never been able to live down the shame”.
Diana, who is a pet owner, said she felt sorry for Ms Bale and said that “at times she struggles”.
Another neighbour also referred to Ms Bale’s father dying around the time of the furore.
They said: “Obviously it was a weird thing for her to do but when learned that her father was dying at the time – he passed just a few months later – it was clear she was not in a good place at the time she did it. Those of us who know about her are broadly sympathetic.”
At the time, Ms Bale was fined £250 at Coventry Magistrates’ Court in 2021. She was ordered to pay the RSPCA’s costs of £1,171 after pleading guilty to causing unnecessary suffering.
Ms Bale said she did “not deserve to be hated” for what she did.
She said: “I really don’t see what everyone is getting so excited about. It’s just a cat.”
She added: “I was walking home from work and saw this cat wander out in front of me. I was playing with it, stroking it and listening to it purr as it stood on a garden wall. It was very friendly.
“I don’t know what came over me, but I suddenly thought it would be funny to put it in the wheelie bin, which was right beside me. I did it as a joke because I thought it would be funny. I never thought it would be trapped. I expected it to wriggle out of the bin.”
She admitted she “shouldn’t have done it” but that it was “just a cat at the end of the day” and she didn’t deserve hatred from people from all around the world. She suggested her actions were “a split second of madness”.
The fury grew, and a Facebook group was even set up that called for her death. Some said she was “worse than Hitler”.
Ms Bale later said she was “profoundly sorry” for what she had done.
“I want to take this opportunity to apologise profusely for the upset and distress that my actions have caused,” she said. “I cannot explain why I did this, it is completely out of character and I certainly did not intend to cause any distress to Lola or her owners.
“It was a split second of misjudgement that has got completely out of control.
“I wish to reiterate that I am profoundly sorry for my actions and wish to resolve this matter to everyone’s satisfaction as soon as possible.”
And during the court case, defence solicitor David Murray told District Judge Caroline Goulborn said then that Ms Bale committed the “impulsive and irrational” while her father, who died between the incident and the court case, was gravely ill.
After the abuse and threats she received, Ms Bale eventually retreated into a quieter existence.
Lola’s owners, Darryl and Stephanie, both live nearby still. They are understood to have forgiven Ms Bale, who lived a few streets away.
Ms Bale is believed to have not tried to acquire any pet since the incident. She had been banned from keeping or owning animals for five years, along with the fine she received.
