Man avoids jail after footage shows him battering dog
A man who was filmed pinning his dog down by its neck and punched it repeatedly has been banned from keeping animals.
Daniel Neil Robertson, 44, was caught on camera brutally attacking his Staffordshire Bull Terrier, called Reggie, on two occasions.
In one clip, he could be seen using his knees to pin Reggie down before launching a spate of punches.
The shocking footage shows Robertson, of Birmingham, lifting Reggie into the air by his collar before slamming him to the floor and punching his head.
The dog managed to wriggle free but Robertson chased the whimpering animal across the room.
Robertson was convicted of two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal on March 31 and April 1 this year.
He was handed a 15 year animal disqualification order when he appeared at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court last week, but avoided jail after being sentenced to eight months custody which was suspended for 12 months.
The court heard Reggie may have suffered mental as well as physical distress as a result of the attacks.
A vet speaking at the hearing said: ‘Being within an unpredictable environment such as this can have profound negative effects on the psychological wellbeing of both animals and humans.’
RSPCA inspector Ben Jones, who investigated for the animal welfare charity, said: ‘Robertson inflicted appalling and totally unnecessary violence on Reggie.
‘Animals deserve to be shown kindness and respect. There is never an excuse for treating an animal in this way.’
Ownership of Reggie was signed over into the care of the RSPCA and Robertson paid a £114 victim surcharge.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.