Layton schoolgirl caught on camera throwing cat into road

The nine-second video, which is believed to have been taken several months ago, shows a girl dressed in a St Mary's Catholic Academy uniform throwing the animal over her shoulder.

It was brought to the school's attention this week after it was circulated on social media and shared almost 300 times on Facebook. Head teacher Simon Eccles said he was taking the incident seriously.

He said: "We are aware of an incident several months ago involving a St. Mary’s pupil. We are deeply concerned about the nature of this and are dealing with it seriously. We have investigated the incident and are following the academy’s behaviour policy. We are liaising with external agencies and parents as appropriate."

Wendy Mulela of the Homeward Bound animal rescue group, which brought the video to the school's attention, said: "I have had an acknowledgment from the school that there will be sanctions and education as to why this behaviour is unacceptable. The authorities are also aware and hopefully liaising with the school and addressing the girl's family. Let’s hope this has been a wake up call for this girl and that she is able to recognise this behaviour as completely disgusting."