A judge has been told how an off-duty police officer who was driving along London Road in Carlisle on September 30, witnessed a man walking a dog, he then saw the dog been kicked and punched.
Kaine Moon Hardie, 24, appeared at Carlisle Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a dog.
The judge was told how the off-duty officer saw Hardie stop walking and pull his leg back and kick the back leg of a Greyhound type breed with his foot, as traffic started to move the officer kept watching the owner and dog.
Hardie once again pulled at the lead and kicked the dog “with almighty force” in the ribs, District Judge Gerald Chalk was then told a female member of the public intervened and the officer also stopped his car.
Prosecutor John Moran said the witnesses heard the dog “yelp” with pain said it looked “petrified”, the officer commented it made him “physically sick” to hear the dogs cries, the female also made a statement that at one point the dog was dragged along and punched in the face.
Hardie`s lawyer John Cooper said, his client said the dog was his closest friend and had it since a pup and goes everywhere with him, he admits he had been drinking, and this is not his normal character, this is a one-off incident.
Judge Chalk placed Hardie of Forest Hill, Harraby, on a Community Order for one-year, he has to complete 150-hours on unpaid work and pay court costs of £150, he is disqualified from owning any animal for 5-years, as he is not a fit and proper person to own a dog, he also loses ownership of the Greyhound type dog, the court was told the dog is housed in police kennels at the moment.