A man who admitted to luring and killing cats in Sliema and assaulting two police officers has lost his appeal against a two-year effective prison sentence and a landmark 40-year ban on keeping animals.
In a judgment delivered on Wednesday, Judge Natasha Galea Sciberras upheld the sentence imposed on 31-year-old Japanese national Satoshi Okamura, describing his ideology as "very dangerous" and warning that society needed protection from it. The judge pointed in particular to the link Okamura himself drew between his treatment of animals and his views on women, describing his thinking as "sinister".
The case sparked widespread public outrage last year, with members of Malta's Japanese community raising €12,000 for local animal welfare organisations to distance themselves from his actions.
Okamura would "treat a cat violently if it did not appreciate his kindness"
The cat killings happened in Sliema in June of last year.
Okamura was then arrested two months later, in the early hours of August 1, after nearby residents filed a report. When Okamura was apprehended, police found him in possession of latex gloves and cat food, which he was using to lure the animals
Among the evidence before the court was CCTV footage showing Okamura violently attacking a cat while it was asleep.
However, the Court of Appeal said it was the accused's own statements to police that were especially disturbing.
During questioning, Okamura said he would "treat a cat violently if it did not appreciate his kindness", adding that "cats were like women who only appreciate a man's kindness when he had money".
The judgement upheld the fact that said those "sinister thoughts", coupled with the fact that they had been acted upon through violence against defenceless animals, created "the perfect recipe for the most heinous of crimes".
Assaulted police officers during arrest
Okamura had resisted arrest when police officers moved in on him. He had assaulted two police officers, causing them slight injuries.
The Court of Appeal confirmed the three-year restraining order protecting the officers, as well as an 18-month treatment order requiring Okamura to undergo psychological assistance.
Case returned to magistrates after legal flaw
The proceedings had already taken a lengthy turn before reaching Wednesday's appeal. Okamura was first sentenced in October 2025, but that judgment was annulled two months later after the Court of Appeal found that the trial court had failed to cite the specific legal provision relating to the slight injuries suffered by the two police officers.
The case was sent back to the Court of Magistrates to be heard afresh. When it was re-decided in February of this year, the court handed down the same punishment: two years' effective imprisonment, a €15,000 fine and a 40-year ban on keeping animals.
Okamura appealed again, arguing that the sentence was manifestly excessive.
His lawyers urged the court to replace the prison term with a suspended sentence, pointing to his childhood trauma and the verbal abuse he suffered at his father's hands, and previously clean criminal record.
They also argued that the 40-year prohibition on keeping animals was punitive rather than preventive and should be reduced to 20 years.
The Court of Appeal dismissed those arguments. It held that the lower court had correctly balanced punishment with the prospect of rehabilitation and said that Maltese law does not permit a suspended sentence for assaulting a public officer.
The judge also found "no disproportionality" in the 40-year ban, given the gravity of the offences and the circumstances of the case.
In addition to the prison sentence, Okamura was ordered to pay a €15,000 fine in monthly instalments of €1,000, all court costs and the expenses incurred in relocating and treating the cats.
He also remains prohibited from keeping animals or living in premises where animals are kept for 40 years.
The case was led by Inspectors Jeffrey Scicluna Briffa and Elliot Magro. Okamura was represented by lawyers Adreana Zammit and Marion Camilleri.