Yahoo News Cruel owner handed 10-year ban after viral video shows him attacking dog
A man beat his dog with a rope toy when the animal went for a younger pup, a court heard.
Ben Smith, 34, was caught on camera by a neighbour who recorded the shocking incident and shared it on social media. Preston Crown Court heard Smith 'lost his temper' and threw the dog against a wall. He struck it repeatedly with the toy.
Police attended Smith's address in Lawsons Road, Thornton Cleveleys on Saturday August 17. They seized six dogs from the address and arrested Smith on suspicion of animal cruelty and making threats to kill.
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The dogs in Smith's care were riddled with mites and fleas and were showing signs of possible mange. They had been treated with a home remedy, Judge Andrew Jeffries KC said.
When Smith's neighbour made the video of the attack public, Smith confronted him and threatened to kill him. He later pleaded guilty all three charges.
Smith, who has a long history of criminality, told a probation officer he had moved away from his home in East Lancashire to start a new life in Cleveleys. He wanted to distance himself from past associates and had married and settled down.
Judge Jeffries KC said there was a slowing down in Smith's offending which appeared to support the changes he was making in his life. He said: "You could do prison standing on your head. There is no doubt these offences are so serious that custody is the only right sentence."
But he said there was work he could do with the probation service to address his offending. Judge Jeffries KC handed down a sentence of 15 months suspended for two years with 150 hours of unpaid work and a 'Building Choices' program.
He said: "This sort of sentence is a two-way deal. If you are genuine that the move away from home, getting married and settling down is moving in the right direction then you won't go to prison. If I have made a terrible mistake, you will serve 15 months."
Smith was also banned from owning or keeping dogs for 10 years. Judge Jeffries KC said: "When you were managing these animals you lost your temper. That renders you unfit to have care of them."
