'He beat the dog and slammed it off the ground' an eyewitness revealed in case of man convicted of animal cruelty in Portadown, Craigavon court hears

Rolandas Kvederis, aged 49, from Thomas Street, Portadown, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a dog.

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The court heard that on May 14 this year, shortly after 1pm, a woman told police she saw a man hitting a Jack Russell-type dog near the corner of West Street and North Street, Portadown.

"The reporting party was in a state of distress,” said the prosecutor, adding the defendant was ‘mumbling’ that he had been drinking at his girlfriend’s house and the dog had killed the family cat and ‘he was taking the dog away’.

"He was difficult to understand at that time,” said the prosecutor, who told the court there was a video which shows the defendant appearing to hit something.

"Statements were taken from both witnesses. They said they observed the male carrying the dog in a bag and walking into some bushes. He then began to beat the dog and slam it off the ground,” she said.

"The other witness gave a similar account stating the defendant was either punching the bag with the dog in it or swinging it and said he had been swearing,” the prosecutor said, adding there was also mobile phone footage.

During interview Kvederis accepted he was ‘angry at the dog’ and the dog had been placed into a bag ‘with the intention of carrying it to the park and leaving it there but denied hitting the animal or slamming it on the ground’, the court heard.

The prosecutor revealed the dog didn’t suffer any injuries. “The vet noted the dog was geriatric and there were some signs of shock and the dog was sore with manipulation but no direct link between that and the incident,” she said.

Kvederis’ barrister, Mr Aaron Thompson, said: “Fortunately there was no visible or palpable injury to the animal. In anger and having taken some alcohol after the dog had attacked another pet in his girlfriend’s house, he had taken it in a bag to deposit it in a wooded area and let it fend for itself effectively and eventually make its way home. That was cruel in itself.”

Mr Thompson said: “These offences are ugly offences and always attract a little bit of attention and certainly the public at large are appalled by anyone attacking an animal.

"The reality is this is an incident driven by bad temper and alcohol consumption,” said Mr Thompson.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan said: “Sometimes you have to take emotions out of sentencing. Your actions towards that dog were disgusting. Anyone who can treat an animal like that does deserve prison.”

He said his guilty plea is the only thing that saved Kvederis from custody. He sentenced the defendant to seven months in prison suspended for 12 months.

"Given your cruelty, Mr Kvederis, you will be disqualified from owning any animal which includes looking after someone else’s pet for five years,” he said.

He ordered Kvederis to pay £300 compensation to a registered animal charity to mark the “abhorrence” of the court.