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Dog attacker escapes jail
Dean Kirby17/ 1/2008
A MAN has escaped jail after he was filmed pinning a dog to a wall by its throat and beating it again and again.
Christopher Dunn, 21, was banned from keeping animals for ten years after being filmed by a webcam on two consecutive days attacking the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, named Truffles.
Magistrates in Tameside were shown the shocking footage of the attacks, which took place in the back yard of a house in Denton in June last year.
A neighbour recorded two clips of the sickening brutality, before calling the police.
Mark Harper, prosecuting, told the court: "The next door neighbour heard Mr Dunn shouting at the dog and went into a rear bathroom. She saw him grab the dog by its throat."
Dunn, of Ecclesbridge Road, Marple, is seen in the first clip taken on June 23 last year, to grab the dog and bang it against the wall before it falls on the ground near a wheelie bin. He then rams the bin into the dog.
The day after, on June 24, the neighbour heard Dunn screaming at the dog.
She again filmed the attack on a webcam from across the yard. He is seen grabbing it by the throat and punching it repeatedly in the face.
The dog seemed fine when police were called, but the neighbour showed them the video and Dunn was arrested.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to the dog by mistreatment.
Colin Ingham, defending, said Dunn was aware that his behaviour had been unacceptable, but said it had been out of character. He said he had no previous convictions.
He said: "There is another side of his lifestyle and behaviour that is not been borne out in the shame that this incident has brought him."
Mr Ingham said Dunn had later been hailed a hero after he had gone into a burning house to try to save an elderly woman.
Magistrates sentenced Dunn to three months in custody for each offence, suspended for 12 months, to run concurrently.
They said he was to receive 18 months of supervision and would have to do 100 hours of unpaid work.
The magistrates said he would also have to pay £500 in costs to the RSPCA, who brought the case.
He has been disqualified from owning or keeping an animal for 10 years under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
The magistrates gave him credit for his early guilty plea.
After the hearing RSPCA inspector Paul Heaton said the verdict was a "good result".
He added: "If it wasn't for the neighbour's webcam footage this dog could have ended up living in fear for years.
"This case sends out a message that someone is always watching you."
Click on the video window to see footage of the attack ...
Most recent 2 of 5 user comments
a he mistook the poor Staffie for a Boxer
b he was rather miffed with the Staffie for having beaten him in an IQ competition
What a pity that this fearless "man" didn't go straight to the slammer and I hope the dog's now with a safe and caring family. Unfortunately, though, it's such idiots that train Staffies and other Terriers to be psychopaths that can never fit into normal family life.
Roy G
In Exile
29/01/2008 at 15:10
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