CONVICTED (2015) | Everald Hugh James, born 03/08/1967, formerly of Mottingham, South London and more recently Lewis King House, Plaistow Lane, Bromley BR1 3TE – strangled a bull mastiff and hung him outside his house with rope as the dog gasped for air

Callous James, who is also known as ‘Shadow’, was found guilty of hanging the three-year-old dog, known as Boyzee, while punching him in the face as the terrified dog “gasped for air”. He had denied the charge, claiming Boyzee died accidentally during a “tug of war”.

Giving evidence, James’ neighbour Harlon Horsford told the court how he had heard shouting at about 8pm on September 6, 2015. He opened the front door and saw James with Boyzee.

He said: “He had the dog with a rope wrapped round its throat, repeatedly hitting the dog in the face and throat with his left hand.”

He stated the rope was wrapped around a metal railing, one end strangling the dog and the other end being pulled by James’ right hand, as he hit him with his left.

Mr Horsford continued: “The dog was secured to the railings.

“I confronted him, I said let go and he wouldn’t. He said he doesn’t care about the police or RSPCA, he’s named Shadow and no one can tell him nothing, It’s his dog.

“So I punched him in the face, he fell back on the floor and Boyzee dropped to the floor.

“I took the rope off of Boyzee’s neck. He couldn’t breathe properly, he was gasping for air. I pushed his tongue to the left, he had saliva all in his mouth, I was trying to breathe air into him.

“His back legs were twitching, he made his last breath and passed away. He was a lovely dog, very loving, very gentle.”

While giving evidence, Mr Horsford broke down in tears and had to compose himself. He said that throughout the attack Boyzee’s legs were not able to reach the floor, and he scrabbled to get a footing.

James was arrested later that day. He initially stated he was taking the dog outside to do his business, and dragged him through a crowd of people, inadvertently strangling it. But while giving evidence he claimed it was actually a tug of war between him and Mr Horsford which accidentally killed the dog.

James, who admitted he had been drinking that day, said: “He grabbed the lead, I said let go of my dog. He said he wanted the dog.

“I just kept pulling my dog not looking back. When I turned back around I saw the dog on the floor.

“I could never harm my dog, it’s what keeps me alive. I’ve got a 15-year-old daughter I can’t see, I bought the dog to keep me company.”

When passing the verdict, magistrates described his testimony as “not credible”.

Sentencing: 18 weeks in jail. Indefinite ban on keeping animals.

Newsshopper
ITV News