Teen locked up for stabbing and beating his dog to death
A TOW Law teenager was jailed for four months and given a lifetime ban from keeping animals after attacking his dog with a hammer and stabbing it to death.Newton Aycliffe Youth Court imposed the penalty on Monday after hearing how the 16-year-old youth carried out the “callous and cruel” attack on his 14-year-old dog because it had defecated on the floor.
Chair of the Bench John Robinson told the teenager: “This was a horrific act, which conjures up many emotions. There is remorse and we accept that it was not a pre-meditated act.”
The court was told how RSPCA inspectors were contacted by Durham police officers in November last year after the youth launched the attack on the Staffordshire bull terrier-type.
Magistrates heard how the boy hit the dog over the head with a hammer about six times and stabbed him in the throat with a kitchen knife after it had defecated in the house.
The dog was taken to a nearby veterinary surgeon by the boy’s mother after she heard of the attack, where he received immediate treatment for four head wounds and three neck wounds. However, despite every effort, the dog’s condition worsened and he was put to sleep on veterinary advice two days later.
At an earlier hearing in April, the youth pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the dog by hitting him over the head with a hammer and stabbing him to death. In mitigation, the court heard that it was an impulsive action and not a pre-meditated act of cruelty for which the remorse was immediate. RSPCA inspector Sue Craig said: “This was a shocking case of deliberate and unrelenting cruelty.
“He was a family dog for most of this boy’s life and to carry out such a horrific act of violence against him defies belief. “Today’s sentence reflects the callous and cruel nature of this case, and I’m very pleased with the result. There’s no excusing what this boy did. He showed complete disregard for the life he was taking, or the suffering he caused in doing so.”
The youth was given a four-month detention and training order and is banned from keeping animals for life.
