Mary Bale, Woman Who Put a Cat in the Trash: Where Is She Now?

Mary Bale was just one of a host of people who momentarily grabbed the spotlight in 2010 and dominated a news cycle or two while getting their 15 minutes of fame. In this series, AOL News is checking in on 25 of these newsmakers and giving them a 16th minute.

Mary Bale, 45, who sparked an angry online campaign after being caught on CCTV throwing a pet cat into a large green rubbish bin in the Stoke area of Coventry is escorted by police as she arrives at her home in Coventry.

Mary Bale has been banned from owning pets for five years.

Mary Bale Made News in 2010 When She: Dumped a cat in a trash bin for no better reason than she "thought it might be funny."

The Full Story: On Aug. 21, 45-year-old British bank worker Mary Bale came across a cat while walking down a sidewalk in Coventry. She petted it, made sure no one was looking, then shoved it into a trash can before walking on. Little did she know that the owners of the cat, Stephanie and Darryl Mann, also owned a closed circuit video camera that captured the whole thing. The cat, named Lola, remained trapped for 15 hours before she was found by her owners. To find Lola's assailant, the Manns posted the security video of Bale on YouTube and set up a Facebook page, "Help Find the Woman Who Put My Cat in the Bin." The video quickly blew up. Bale was identified, and hate groups popped up all over Facebook, including the since-removed Death to Mary Bale group. Bale seemed indifferent at first and told The Sun, "It's just a cat" -- not realizing she would become globally reviled. Hate mail started flooding her mailbox, and thousands of death threats were posted online. An ironic Twitter feed of Bale's supposed thoughts, CatBinLady, amassed a huge following (35,000 so far). Before police even charged Bale with any crimes, the public derision of her was so strong that she resigned from her job at the Royal Bank of Scotland.

What's Happened Since? On Oct. 21, Bale pleaded guilty to the charge of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. She was fined £250 ($393) and banned from having pets for five years. For all the fuss, the punishment may seem light, but the fact that Bale was stressed at the time due to her father being critically ill was taken into account, as was the suffering caused by her dubious fame. "The media interest in this case has resulted in you being vilified in some quarters, and I have taken that into account," Judge Caroline Goulborn said. And by "some quarters," she meant pretty much all quarters.

In Her Own Words: Bale's response to the entire episode took a 180 degree turn after it became a media sensation. Only a few days after Bale demonstrated her nonchalance by saying, "OK, I shouldn't have done it -- but it's just a cat at the end of the day," she issued a formal apology. "I want to take this opportunity to apologize profusely for the upset and distress that my actions have caused. It was a split second of misjudgment that has got completely out of control."

Video: Sky News coverage of Mary Bale putting Lola in the bin

More 16th Minutes of Fame
Capri Anderson, Charlie Sheen's Porn-Star Gal Pal
Mary Bale, the Woman Who Put a Cat in the Trash
Anna Chapman, the Redheaded Russian Spy
Antoine Dodson, the 'Bed Intruder' Viral Superstar
Gary Faulkner, Osama bin Laden Hunter
Tony Hayward, the BP Exec Who Wanted His Life Back
Colton Harris-Moore, the Barefoot Bandit
Terry Jones, the Would-Be Koran-Burning Preacher
Jessie Lunderby, Sexy Jailer Fired Over Playboy Photos
Jimmy McMillan, the 'Rent Is Too Damn High' Guy
Isaiah Mustafa, the Old Spice Guy
Christine O'Donnell, Not-a-Witch Senate Candidate
'General' Larry Platt, 'Pants on the Ground' Rapper
Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei, Alleged Rutgers Cyberbullies
Juan Rodriguez, the Obama Rally Streaker
Ines Sainz, Sports Reporter Harassed by New York Jets
Faisal Shahzad, the Times Square Bomber
Rupesh Shingadia, Tiger Woods' 'Cigar Guy'
Steven Slater, the Runaway Jet Blue Flight Attendant
Bethany Storro, Acid-in-the-Face Hoaxtress
Abby Sunderland, Teenage Solo Sailor
Tilikum, the SeaWorld Killer Whale Who Killed His Trainer
John Tyner, the Don't 'Touch My Junk' Guy
Paul 'Bear' Vasquez, 'Double Rainbow' Video Guy