[Animals] Unhinged soldier stormed an animal shelter 'prepared for war' in full cammo to look for his pet cat and threatened staff at gunpoint

[-HuNTeR-]

• Tony Wittman , a former soldier, held a young woman at gunpoint after losing cat
• Bailey Scarlett showed up for a late shift at the Melbourne Lost Dogs Home
• Soldier told Ms Scarlett 'if you do as I say and listen to me I won't shoot you'
• Wittman told police he had been to both East Timor and Afghanistan twice each

 

A former soldier blamed post-traumatic stress disorder caused in part by two army tours in Afghanistan for holding a woman hostage in an attempt to get his cat back.

Armed with an assault weapon and dressed in full military-style clothing, Tony Wittman held the young woman at gunpoint as she showed up for a late-night shift at the Melbourne Lost Dogs Home.

Bailey Scarlett initially believed, because of his militaristic appearance, that he was legitimately there and that something had happened in the area.

Armed with an assault weapon and dressed in full military-style clothing, Tony Wittman held Bailey Scarlett at gunpoint as she showed up for a late-night shift at the Melbourne Lost Dogs Home

Wittman, 45, claimed his unhinged actions were the result of his desperation to get back the cat that had helped him through episodes of post-traumatic stress disorder, itself the result of 16 years in the Australian Army.

He claimed to police he had been to East Timor and Afghanistan twice each, and to Aceh after the Boxing Day Tsunami.

But Australian Defence Force records show he was a reservist for just two days shy of two years between 1995 and 1997, discharged for failure to provide efficient service.

'You really are the worst kind of evil human that makes the newspaper headlines today,' Ms Scarlett told Wittman on Wednesday.

She questioned why he would inflict a diagnosis of PTSD on another person, as he had done to her.

'You came prepared for war, and a war against a totally defenceless animal welfare carer,' she said.

'All of this over something I was not responsible for.'

Wittman had made an appointment for January 12 last year to pick up his cat from the home, but decided the night before that he couldn't wait.

He went at 8pm, two hours after the home closed to the public. He later went back at 10.30pm as Ms Scarlett arrived for work.

Wittman demanded to know where the cats were kept and after Ms Scarlett said she didn't have keys for the cat he demanded she get on her knees.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10541637/Unhinged-soldier-stormed-Melbourne-animal-shelter-looking-cat.html