San Marino, Italy – An Italian cyclist is facing backlash for killing his neighbor’s cat with an air rifle. The 21-year-old professional cyclist, Antonio Tiberi, admitted to killing Federico Pedini Amati’s cat, explaining that he pointed the gun at the cat’s head and pulled the trigger.
The cat belonged to Amati, who is San Marino’s tourism and posts minister. The distraught man told an Italian newspaper, “The cat didn’t bother anyone. It had been with us for a long time. My 3-year-old daughter, Lucia, loved it. You cannot kill a pet and get away with a 4,000-euro fine.”
Tiberi rides for Trek-Segafredo, which released a statement about the cruel incident:
On February 28, the disgraced cyclist Tweeted an apology:
I deeply regret my shamful (sic) actions. I did something tremendously stupid and irresponsible. I really want to apologize everyone 🙏
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It is well documented in psychology that the ‘triad’ of psychological factors that have been associated with intentional animal torture and cruelty (IATC) & are three specific characteristics of personality – Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. Studies carried out by Dr. Phillip Kavanagh and his colleagues have examined the relationship between the three Dark Triad personality traits and attitudes towards animal abuse and self-reported acts of animal cruelty. They found that the psychopathy trait is related to intentionally hurting or torturing animals, as was a composite measure of all three Dark Triad traits.
Individuals manifesting the dark triad personality type1 have been associated with tendencies toward violence and criminal activity, domestic violence etc. Even when they don’t slip to those extremes, the trio usually spells self-serving, manipulative, and low-empathy behavior.
Kill the psycho!!! He’s not sorry he’s just worried about his sorry stupid ass!!
Fully agree.
De-wheel him, that might hurt him. A bit. Something a young kid might do without thinking of the consequences. This ‘kid’ has a lot of growing up to do.
So sorry for everyone who knew and loved this gorgeous creature.
What is WRONG with these violent, morally bankrupt demons in human form? Hopefully someone with nothing to lose will deal with that one! because the law won’t.
I agree with that because I doubt Italian law is any more punitive than ours and as I have said before to stop sociopathic people like this you have to go outside the law to stop them otherwise they will repeat this behaviour because they like it, simple as that.
Schiet zijn hersenloze kop van zijn romp. Dit is géén mens maar ongedierte die je op dezelfde manier moet elimineren!
How about having to look Lucia (and her family)in the face and explain why he took her beloved pet away from her. Yes, letters/apologies are fine but maybe it would come “home” to him even more when he sees the hurt in her eyes
Exactly! People do t think of the animals family or especially the children that love them!!!
Very well done in this case of murder of an innocent kitty. Unconscionable that someone can kill a cat with an air rifle (and even with no firearm). However it seems that San Marino’s animal-cruelty laws are enforced. But I think that a lot of community service in an animal shelter should have been mandated for this man. €4000 is not enough to pay for the suffering of that cat’s humans.
NEEDED CORRECTION: San Marino is NOT a part of Italy. It’s a FULLY INDEPENDENT COUNTRY surrounded by parts of Northern Italy.
I completely agree about what unconscionable behaviour he demonstrated! (I wouldn’t put him anywhere near an animal shelter, though, he likely enjoyed targeting and killing the cat, he’d probably try to kill other animals in a shelter environment. People who abuse children cannot be near children, and the same for animal abusers, keep the innocents safe from these deviant psychopaths!)
He only apologized because he got caught! If not, he would have come forward voluntarily. This ‘person’ is not exempt just because he’s ‘important’, he needs to serve time for this heinous act.
Because he got caught, he apologized. What a farce! He cold bloodedly murdered an innocent animal. He deserves jail time and a huger fine. He’s a low life scumbag.
Punish to full extent!! Unacceptable psychotic behavior!!!!
I bet he enjoyed it so much that he’d have done it again and again if he hadn’t been caught. His apology is likely only a plea for a clean record, for everyone to forgive and forget. Uhm, no.
So this animal murder, pretends to be sorry! Let me repeat this, he is PRETENDING to be sorry, what can we do to get him banned from cycling or some other punishment?
Throw spikes down in front of him and pray he breaks a leg!!!
I hope his apology is sincere and his actions will haunt him for the rest of his life, so he will never do anything like that again.
He’s sorry he got caught. He’s sorry he got suspended. He’s sorry he’s losing pay. He is NOT sorry about animal abuse.
What an ARSEHOLE. He’s not sorry. He’s sick and should be institutionalised.
EVIL VILE MONSTER YOU WILL PAY THE PRICE KARMA WILL COME CALLING YOU DESERVE IT NO GOOD SCUMBAG
In the absence of any “mitigating” factors (defense namely), a person spontaneously and violently killing an animal, has muchmuch deeper issues, primarily psycopathy. He’s dangerous, unempathetic, and narcissistic. He’ll escalate if he hasn’t already, and target humans next.
A 20-day suspension is laughable, if he had killed a human, he’d be in prison.
R.I.P. SWEEET CAT!
LOCK THE EFFING, PUNK, A** P.O.S. UP AND THROW AWAY THE KEY!
BIF FINE! BIG PUNISHMENT!
HE IS NOT SORRY, HE IS FULL OF SH*T AND TRYING TO GET
OUT OF PUNISHMENT! HE NEEDS HARD AND HARSH LESSONS!
De la prison ferme , OUI
This guy is a POS, he not only never apologized until he was made to and as far as the suspension that’s a joke. If this would have been my cat this guy would have been eating through a straw for the next 2 years. What he did was senseless and cruel, I hope karma kicks his ass.
He’s only sorry he got caught.
Antonio Tiberi is a waste of skin and oxygen on earth!! He’s only apologized because ‘He got caught’. Trek-Segafredo should ban him from ever joining again. There was conscious thought and actions to commit this horrible act, and serious repercussions should reflect this for Ass-Antonio!! Personally I think he should be shot in the head, and grow cat grass on his useless carcass.
This man should go to jail, lose his “job” and be treated like the trash he is. Instead he is allowed to be the face of his region.
Put the bastard in jail. Take him away from cycling. He killed an innocent cat. Why? Now He feels sorry. No! He is not! He just doesn’t want to lose his reputation. Piece of shit!!!! I hope he gets what he deserves. Karma! Karma! What goes around comes around. Rot and burn in hell!!!
Apologies? That sick bastard must hang!!