Seriously? Now, I don't believe frying a hamster is nice or anything, but sentencing a guy and giving him a criminal record for a fucking rodent? This is retarded, only possible thing he should be charged for is theft of his flatmates hamster.
When it comes to having a central nervous system, and the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy. Something Ingrid said once, and I have to agree. We shouldn't take anyone causing intentional suffering lightly, whether it's to a human or a mammal or a bird or what have you.
If he had broken the things neck quickly and then fried it, I'd feel differently, as people eat all sorts of animals on a regular basis- I just expect them to avoid unnecessary suffering for the creature in question. The fact is that dude somehow found it okay to forego that, as well as skinning it, during the whole frying process. That seems like a red flag to me. Someone who enjoys causing pain to animals for the sake of causing pain isn't anyone I'd trust around humans either. Or, alternatively, someone who won't control their drinking to the point where they're capable of doing things like this without any forethought is someone I'd want nothing to do with.
