For immediate release - April 17, 2002

Sentencing of Cat Torturers Tomorrow

Animal Activists to Launch a Brown and White Ribbon Campaign: Zero Tolerance for Cruelty to Animals

Toronto - On Thursday, April 18, 2002, Jesse Power and Anthony Wennekers will be sentenced by Judge Edward Ormston for the unbelievably horrible death of a cat. Animal activists have named this cat "Kensington," as s/he came from the Kensington Market area. This case has been receiving international attention. The sentencing is at 2 p.m. at Old City Hall.

After the two men are sentenced, a brown and white ribbon campaign will be launched called: ZERO TOLERANCE FOR CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

The ribbon campaign will be part of Kensington's living memorial. A memorial fund called Kensington's Animal Legal Defence Fund (KALDF) has been created; it will work to prevent acts of cruelty to animals by educating and supporting the legal and law enforcement communities, and by promoting a national policy of zero tolerance for cruelty to animals.

"We vow to keep Kensington's spirit alive. Kensington will never be forgotten," says Suzanne Lahaie, co-founder of Freedom for Animals.

"Cruelty to animals is a daily occurrence. Too many cases go unreported and unresolved. The goal is to end animal abuse," says Susan Krajnc, member of Kensington's Animal Legal Defence Fund.

Donations to Kensington's memorial fund should be made to: Kensington's Animal Legal Defence Fund