Student fried hamster

A drunken student who fried his flatmate's pet hamster in a frying pan has been banned from keeping animals for eight years.

James White had been accused of cooking the animal alive but today a court accepted it may already have been dead.

A drunken student who fried his flatmates's pet hamster in a frying pan has been banned from keeping animals for eight years. James White had been accused of cooking the animal alive but today a court accepted it may already have been dead. Jon Hill reports.

A student who fried a hamster has been banned from keeping animals for eight years.

James White, 21, who studies Politics and International Relations in York, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the animal, which belonged to his flatmate.

Selby Magistrates' Court heard it could not be established whether the hamster died as a result of being fried or if it was already dead due to rough handling.

Mr White has been sentenced to carry out 120 hours of unpaid community work, banned from keeping animals for eight years and ordered to pay £1000 towards the RSPCAs prosecution costs.

Mr White said he had been on a drinking binge and could not remember anything of the night it happened.