Professional cyclist Antonio Tiberi has been given a fine of €4,000 ($4,250; £3,500) for shooting dead a minister’s cat in San Marino, Italian media say.
The 21-year-old rider reportedly said he was trying out an air rifle and pointed it at the cat’s head and fired.
The ill-fated feline belonged to San Marino’s tourism and posts minister Federico Pedini Amati, a former leader of the tiny landlocked republic.
“The cat didn’t bother anyone,” he told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
“It had been with us for a long time. My three-year-old daughter Lucia loved it. You cannot kill a pet and get away with a 4,000-euro fine,” he added.
Mr Tiberi, who rides with the Trek-Segafredo team and was a juniors time trial world champion in 2019, had recently moved to San Marino.
“I appreciated that the boy admitted the fact. Having said that, we don’t need to give these people residence,” said Mr Pedini Amati.