The high-heeled woman who shocked China's pet lovers by stomping a kitten to death in a notorious video has apologized.

The woman, a Heilongjiang Province nurse named Wang Jue, said she was despondent over a failed marriage and allowed herself to be talked into crushing the animal to death while the cameras rolled.

The video was later posted on the Internet and could be downloaded for free. It was used to attract viewers to a Website that featured videos of small animals being stomped to death by aggressive women. The Website, which sold the discs for 15 yuan each, is no longer operating.

Immediately after the video was posted several weeks ago, enraged animal lovers began tracking down those involved in making the video.

The actress and the video's producer were traced to Luobei County in the northern province.

The woman's apology, and an earlier mea culpa from the video's producer, a cameraman at a provincial TV station, were posted this week on the county government's Website. The woman expressed remorse for her actions and their effects on others.

Wang said she is divorced, depressed and having trouble figuring out what to do with her life. She said her despondence led to the cruelty against the kitten. She also said that her behavior had deeply hurt her family, especially her daughter.

Both Wang and the man who produced the video were suspended from their jobs after they were identified. It was not clear what further punishments they might face - if any - as China does not have clear-cut laws preventing cruelty to animals.

(Shanghai Daily March 16, 2006)