Man jailed for 18 months for kicking dog up and down street and burning its remains

"I've killed Buttons due to my drinking and drugs. I loved this dog with all my heart and I couldn't imagine hurting her."

A 27-year-old man in Donegal was sentenced to 18 months in prison and was banned for keeping animals for life at Letterkenny Circuit Court on Tuesday, following a brutal attack on a dog earlier this year. The man, with an address at Mountcharles, Letterkenny in Donegal, was seen by a neighbour kicking an innocent Yorkshire terrier dog called Buttons and squeezing her neck by a neighbour on 24 January. When the witness opened a window and shouted at him, he picked up the dog and walked on and returned without the dog 10 minutes later. ISPCA Senior Inspector Kevin McGinley responded to a complaint made to the National Animal Cruelty Helpline and upon investigation, he discovered a dead black and tan terrier dog in a plastic vari-kennel at the rear of the accused’s flat. Inspector McGinley could see that the dog had sustained an injury to the side of its face and the dog’s back appeared to be burned. On closer inspection on the back of the dog, he discovered what appeared to look like a coal substance had burned the hair on the dogs back. Warning: Some readers may find the images below disturbing. Inspector McGinley was informed by the dog’s owner that he had found his dog dead at the rear of the property and the dog was removed from the property to allow for a clinical examination to determine the cause of the dog’s death. Garda Sergeant Oliver Devenney told the court how the dog had been found and that it had severe scorch marks to its body. The accused said: "I've killed Buttons due to my drinking and drugs. I loved this dog with all my heart and I couldn't imagine hurting her. I didn't mean to kill her but this was a week of destruction and my medication was not working". An examination at Donegal Veterinary Clinic was carried out on the dog’s remains, which later confirmed that the dog had died from a ruptured liver as a result of blunt force trauma. The barrister for the accused, Mr Peter Nolan, said that his client had been addicted to tablets and had received psychiatric treatment at St Conal’s Psychiatric Unit in Letterkenny for two days. He said his father had died when he was just 12 months old and that he had left school at 16 and was barely able to read or write. Mr Nolan continued: “He destroyed the only thing he loved.” Judge John Aylmer said that it was clear that the accused is a person in need of significant treatment for his addictions and sentenced him to two and a half years in jail for making threats to kill, a further 18 months for cruelty to animals and nine months for the criminal damage of his apartment. Judge Aylmer ordered that all sentences are to run concurrently and suspended the last 12 months of the case while backdating the sentence to February last, when the accused entered Castlerea Prison. Judge Aylmer also made an order that the accused seek the necessary treatment for his addictions as part of his order. The accused, who had 33 previous convictions for a range of offences including public order, theft and criminal damage, was also banned from keeping animals for life. Commenting on the case, ISPCA Senior Inspector Kevin McGinley said: “This was a horrendous form of animal cruelty, resulting in the sad death of an innocent dog. Sadly, it was terrible ending for this little dog who would have died in a lot of pain and suffering. “Pet owners have a legal responsibility to care for their pets appropriately and, if they fail in this responsibility, they will have to be prosecuted. I would like to thank Sergeant Oliver Devenney and Garda James Connolly and who assisted in bringing this case to a conclusion and thanks also to Veterinary Officer Nicholas McGarvey. “This is the third custodial sentence imposed under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 recently, two of which were in Co Donegal”. The ISPCA would like to encourage members of the public to continue to report animal welfare concerns by contacting the National Animal Cruelty Helpline on 1890 515 515 or report cruelty online here.