TADAS KUNDROTAS FROM KILKEEL SENTENCED FOR ANIMAL ABUSE AND VIOLENCE IN COUNTY DOWN
| Red Rose Database
Kilkeel Animal Abuser
Tadas Kundrotas, a Lithuanian national residing at 78 Grahamville Estate in Kilkeel, County Down, was involved in a disturbing incident that led to his conviction in 2022. The events unfolded on the evening of December 3, 2021, when police responded to reports of an assault at Royal Mews in Kilkeel. Upon arrival, officers found Kundrotas seated in a car parked on a private driveway, visibly injured with a head wound and a bloodied face.
According to reports, the victim recounted that Kundrotas had visited a neighboring residence but left after being unable to get inside. As Kundrotas grew increasingly irate, he began shouting loudly in the street. During this altercation, an 11-week-old cocker spaniel puppy, which belonged to the victim, managed to escape and ran toward Kundrotas. In a shocking display of violence, Kundrotas seized the puppy and forcefully threw her into the air. The puppy landed heavily on the tarmac road, whimpering as she made her way back to her owner.
The victim confronted Kundrotas about his actions, which allegedly resulted in Kundrotas pushing and punching the victim on the left side of his face. In retaliation, the victim pushed back, prompting Kundrotas to retreat to his vehicle. From the trunk of his car, he retrieved a wheel brace and hurled it at a Citroen Berlingo van owned by the victim, damaging a rear light in the process.
Following these events, Kundrotas was arrested and taken to Daisy Hill Hospital for treatment of his head injury, which was reportedly sustained while he was restrained on the ground by the victim. While in hospital, Kundrotas exhibited increasingly disruptive behavior, shouting and swearing while awaiting treatment. Despite multiple warnings from police and hospital staff, he continued to act disorderly, culminating in him punching and smashing a clock on the hospital wall.
During police interviews, Kundrotas claimed that “everything was okay” and that he had gone to a friend’s house, but he did not remember the incident involving the puppy. When questioned about his presence at Royal Mews, he stated that he was visiting an acquaintance who lives there. He also denied any recollection of the puppy incident.
At the court hearing, it was acknowledged that Kundrotas was “in a bad mood that day,” but he later accepted responsibility for assaulting the victim and retrieving the wheel brace from his car. A defense lawyer described his behavior as “abhorrent” but out of character, emphasizing that he had been in Northern Ireland for five years, maintained full-time employment, and had an unblemished work record, having not missed a single day since arriving.
District Judge Eamonn King, speaking through an interpreter, advised Kundrotas that “the best thing he can do is to stay in work for as long as he can.”
In sentencing, Kundrotas received six months in custody for each of the criminal damage charges, five months for disorderly conduct, and five months for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. All sentences were suspended for two years, and he was ordered to pay compensation. Notably, there was no ban imposed on his ability to stay in the jurisdiction or to re-enter the country.
According to reports, the victim recounted that Kundrotas had visited a neighboring residence but left after being unable to get inside. As Kundrotas grew increasingly irate, he began shouting loudly in the street. During this altercation, an 11-week-old cocker spaniel puppy, which belonged to the victim, managed to escape and ran toward Kundrotas. In a shocking display of violence, Kundrotas seized the puppy and forcefully threw her into the air. The puppy landed heavily on the tarmac road, whimpering as she made her way back to her owner.
The victim confronted Kundrotas about his actions, which allegedly resulted in Kundrotas pushing and punching the victim on the left side of his face. In retaliation, the victim pushed back, prompting Kundrotas to retreat to his vehicle. From the trunk of his car, he retrieved a wheel brace and hurled it at a Citroen Berlingo van owned by the victim, damaging a rear light in the process.
Following these events, Kundrotas was arrested and taken to Daisy Hill Hospital for treatment of his head injury, which was reportedly sustained while he was restrained on the ground by the victim. While in hospital, Kundrotas exhibited increasingly disruptive behavior, shouting and swearing while awaiting treatment. Despite multiple warnings from police and hospital staff, he continued to act disorderly, culminating in him punching and smashing a clock on the hospital wall.
During police interviews, Kundrotas claimed that “everything was okay” and that he had gone to a friend’s house, but he did not remember the incident involving the puppy. When questioned about his presence at Royal Mews, he stated that he was visiting an acquaintance who lives there. He also denied any recollection of the puppy incident.
At the court hearing, it was acknowledged that Kundrotas was “in a bad mood that day,” but he later accepted responsibility for assaulting the victim and retrieving the wheel brace from his car. A defense lawyer described his behavior as “abhorrent” but out of character, emphasizing that he had been in Northern Ireland for five years, maintained full-time employment, and had an unblemished work record, having not missed a single day since arriving.
District Judge Eamonn King, speaking through an interpreter, advised Kundrotas that “the best thing he can do is to stay in work for as long as he can.”
In sentencing, Kundrotas received six months in custody for each of the criminal damage charges, five months for disorderly conduct, and five months for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. All sentences were suspended for two years, and he was ordered to pay compensation. Notably, there was no ban imposed on his ability to stay in the jurisdiction or to re-enter the country.