CONVICTED (2014) | Liam Backhouse, born 19/06/1990, formerly of Rising Side, Barrow-in-Furness and more recently (2019) of Cloudstock Grove, Little Hulton, Manchester M38 0DU – caught on video throwing and kicking a Staffy puppy and trapping his head in a door
The court was shown a video, taken by Liam Backhouse’s neighbour on November 19. 2013, which showed him throwing the puppy around the garden of his home, trapping his head in the back door and repeatedly kicking him.
He then hurled the two-month-old Staffordshire bull terrier against a concrete step with such force that the tiny animal ‘bounced’ off the hard surface.
The neighbour had heard the dog yelping in distress at around 10.35am and began to film the incident before calling the police.
Steve Marsh, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said: ‘During one incident he called the puppy three or four times to come inside but the dog wouldn’t move.
‘He walked over, picked it up and threw it through the air towards the door.
‘He tempted the puppy inside and then shouted at it for being there.’
Mr Marsh told the court how Backhouse had thrown the puppy at a concrete step with such force the animal was seen to bounce off it. He also poured a bottle of water over the dog, causing the animal to run away.
Following the attack, which lasted almost an hour, the puppy – originally named Titan but later renamed Dudley – was left badly shaken and bruised.
He was rushed to see a vet but fortunately recovered from the incident and was adopted by an RSPCA inspector.
Speaking about the case RSPCA inspector Will Lamping said: ‘The police arrived moments before I did and one of the officers had the puppy, who was shaking wildly, in their arms.
‘The footage is shocking to watch. The puppy tries to get away from Backhouse but he keeps picking him up roughly and throwing him to the ground.
‘At one point he traps the puppy’s head in the back door and repeatedly closes the door on him. The dog keeps crying out, it’s very distressing.’
Karen Templeton, mitigating, said Backhouse suffers from severe depression and ‘hated himself’ for what he had done.
Sentence: jailed for 80 days and banned from keeping animals for just seven years (expired March 2021).