Man sentenced for savagely cruel attack on dog in Plymouth
A man who repeatedly stabbed, kicked, whipped and stamped on the head of his whimpering dog in a Plymouth car park has been banned from having dogs for life - but he can apply to have the ban lifted after 2030.
Lewis Colin Simmons, 31, and now from Paragon in Bath, appeared at Plymouth Crown Court today [January 22] after pleading guilty last August to the charge of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal - namely his large black Cane Corse dog Luna.
Prosecutor Greg Richardson told the court that on October 8, 2023, at around 6.30am, two workers near the Marks and Spencer car park in Cornwall Street heard a man shouting, a thudding sound and "the sound of a squealing dog".
READ MORE: Man who admitted he intended to deal cocaine to be sentenced
READ MORE: Man, 75, attempted to meet 'girl' in Plymouth park for sex
The workers went out to confront the man to find Simmons who made excuses about the dog, saying they had "no idea what I'm putting up with" and saying the dog was "pi**ing all over my bedding". Simmons added that it had gone on by "the court" and it had been "going on for weeks".
Mr Richardson said that Simmons had been sleeping rough and was at that in the company of another man who was also homeless. The workers asked if they could take care of the dogs but Simmons walked off with two dogs he was with.
Police were alerted and Mr Richardson said they seized "very graphic CCTV coverage" of the "prolonged incident". He told the court that the brutal assault on the dog lasted "nearly half an hour".
He said Simmons is seen on the footage to drag the dog, Luna, across the car park, then held it up by its collar "and the dog seemingly passes out". The footage then showed Simmons whipping it with another lead "several times". He then used the metal clip end of another lead taken from the other dog to continue "to whip this forcefully, hitting the dog several times."
Simmons then took the dog to nearby railings, tied it to the railings before grabbing a "long golf-like umbrella and starts stabbing the dog around four times with the pointed end". He then picked up the dog bowl which was full of liquid and poured it over his dog's head.
The court heard that Simmons went over to his belongings, put on his shoes before returning to the dog and stamping on its head "forcefully, 17 times - that was probably the most unpleasant part of the footage".
Mr Richardson said Simmons then walked away from his dog, cleared up his own belongings and then returned to the dog "and then holding the hand rail he jumped on the dog's head several times, at speed".
The court was told that by this stage the dog "had its tail between its legs and is hesitant, it's urinated all over the area, and lays there exhausted".
Simmons was arrested by police on October 9 and made no comment during interview other than to complain that the dog had "wound him up".
Mr Richardson said that while Simmons had no previous for cruelty to animals, he did have a number of custodial sentences which included offences for violence.
In mitigation, Simmons' advocate Francesca Whebell said her client had been living rough at the time and that this was an isolated incident. She said he pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and a pre-sentence report had shown he felt "remorse and shame for his actions that night", adding that he now felt "sickened to think of how he behaved".
She said that at the time he was long term homeless and had suffered difficulties and troubles for much of his life, but this had now changed, he had gained supported accommodation in Bath, had stopped his use of drugs, namely Spice, and while his mental health was still in a poor state, he was working regularly with Bath Mind.
She noted that only last Friday he had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act for 24 hours but his ultimate aim was to secure his own accommodation and train in the future to become a support work to help others.
Judge Matthew Turner said that it was clear Simmons had caused his dog Luna a "substantial level of pain" during his attack, which included strangling it, throwing it to the floor, whipping, stabbing, and stamping on it. He recognised that he was now "genuinely remorseful" according to a Probation report on the matter.
He accepted that he had taken steps to improve his lot, stopping his drug habit, securing accommodation, seeking mental health help and working as a Big Issue vendor in Bath. He said he recognised Simmons presented a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and as such he would be sentenced to a jail term of six months, but suspended for 18 months.
He ordered Simmons to complete up to 30 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days and complete nine months of a Mental Health Treatment Requirement.
In addition, he told Simmons he would be disqualified from owning any dog for five years, before adding that effectively the order was effectively an indefinite one - but that after five years he would be allowed to return to court to ask for it to be suspended in five years time - but he would have to show he was a fit and proper person to own a dog again.
Cane Corsos are a very large mastiff type breed of dog, thought to have originally descended from a Roman war dog. When war was over they were used as successful hunters and worked on farms, protecting, guarding and rounding up livestock. Their name comes from the Latin 'Cohors' which means 'guardian' or 'protector'.
Unfortunately because of their imposing, handsome good looks some Cane Corso have fallen victim to tail docking and ear cropping. Tail docking in the Cane Corso breed is illegal in the UK and must be reported to RSPCA. Ear cropping is also illegal in the UK and needs to be reported to RSPCA if discovered.
Click here to join PlymouthLive on WhatsApp and we'll send breaking news and top stories directly to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.