Burnside man punched pup in face before strangling his pet and lobbing it across a room
A man punched his pet pup in the face, strangled it and threw it across a room.
The 21-year-old mechanic pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a dog.
The defendant, Joshua Bradley, with an address at Kellburn Park in Burnside near Ballyclare, committed the offence on March 23 in 2024, according to his charge sheet.
He was in the dock at Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena on Tuesday, and admitted a charge that 'by reason of an act or failure to act by you, caused unnecessary suffering to a dog and you knew or ought reasonably to have known that the said act or failure to act would have that effect or was likely to do so'.
The dog, described in court as a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, was 14 weeks old and although it "screeched" in pain it did not require veterinary treatment.
A prosecutor said that during the incident the defendant called the dog a "f**king d**khead". A video of the incident was played to the court.
The dog is now being cared for by the defendant's ex-partner.
The prosecutor did not make any "ancillary application" - believed to be a reference to a ban on keeping animals.
District Judge Nigel Broderick queried why no such application was being made as he said when other cruelty cases come before him he is often asked to bar a defendant from owning an animal.
The prosecutor then said she would make such an application for a five-year ban.
A defence barrister said Bradley's behaviour had been a "deplorable act against a defenceless animal" and the footage had been "difficult to watch".
He added that "miraculously" the dog was unharmed. The lawyer told the court the defendant had a "moderate learning disability".
The barrister said Bradley regrets his actions and is "extremely remorseful".
Judge Broderick told the defendant it had been "quite appalling what you did to this animal".
He said the case was a "red flag" as there is research that those who inflict such harm on animals often present as a higher risk of causing injury to people.
Judge Broderick said there was no direct evidence the dog needed any veterinary treatment.
He handed down a six months prison term, suspended for three years, and banned Bradley from keeping animals for five years.