A Coventry woman who was caught on CCTV dumping a cat in a wheelie bin has said she was "profoundly sorry" for what she described as "a split second of misjudgment".

Footage of Mary Bale, 45, throwing four-year-old tabby Lola into a bin sparked a national outcry and also led to an investigation by the RSPCA.

In a statement released to the media on Wednesday afternoon, Ms Bale, a former member of the Birmingham Bach Choir, said: "I want to take this opportunity to apologise profusely for the upset and distress that my actions have caused.

"I cannot explain why I did this, it is completely out of character and I certainly did not intend to cause any distress to Lola or her owners."

The bank worker, from the Stoke area of Coventry, added: "It was a split second of misjudgment that has got completely out of control. I am due to meet with the RSPCA and police to discuss this matter further and will co-operate fully with their investigations."

Ms Bale's apology came after police revealed they were "closely monitoring" online threats to her. Hundreds of people posted angry messages on Facebook after a clip showing Lola being thrown into the green rubbish bin was uploaded by her owners.

A spokeswoman for the social networking site said the group contravened Facebook's terms of use. Some used the site to publish Ms Bale's address, while others called for her to be violently punished.

West Midlands Police described some of the group's content as "inflammatory and offensive".

A spokeswoman said: "We have monitored Facebook to assess any threat of harm to Mary Bale as part of this investigation. The investigation is being led by the RSPCA but obviously the other strand of this now is Mary Bale's safety and we are looking at the potential impact of these messages."