Animal rights activists are celebrating for the second time in a week, after charges were withdrawn against a police officer who took a distressed kitten from a drug user's home.
Const. Beth Richardson was charged with discreditable conduct following the incident in Oshawa last year.
She was called to a home to check up on a woman who had been reportedly using drugs for several days, when she found the kitten cowering under a table.
Richardson took the kitten so it could be checked out by a vet, without getting permission of the owners or notifying her superiors.
The prosecution and her lawyer were able to come to a resolution, agreeing that she was "genuinely concerned about the welfare of an animal in distress."
No disciplinary action will be taken, but Richardson has agreed to promote animal welfare in the community.
Activists let out cheers in the hearing room when prosecutor Ian Johnstone read out the resolution.
"We are thrilled," Mary-Chris Staples with Animal Rights Toronto told reporters. "Happy that people have recognized that compassion is not a crime."
This comes a few days after a woman was found not guilty for giving water to pigs headed for the slaughterhouse.
"We believe that animals deserve the same consideration as people," Staples says.
Richardson's lawyer Joseph Markson says his client is "very relieved."
"Every police officer takes their reputation very seriously," Markson says. "So the fact of this charge weighed heavily upon her shoulders."
After the hearing, Richardson got to meet with the new owners of Tia, the cat in the centre of the case.
"This is awesome," Richardson said, as she held Tia. "This is a good day for everybody."