#MostEvil | Dean Popham, born 31 August 1986, of Wallace Road, Grays RM17 5BB – slit a puppy’s throat in the street after kicking him and swinging him around by his neck
Popham killed the Staffy, Edley, using a kitchen knife taken from a woman’s flat after leaving her with a cut lip.
The unemployed yob then fought with police officers and bit one on the thumb before they dragged him to the ground.
Loreen Hussain, prosecuting, said the horrific incident in Thames Road, Grays, in September 2016, was preceded by vile sexual threats Popham made over text message and Facebook.
He then stormed round to his victim’s flat in a rage, forced his way in and began kicking Edley.
She said: “The puppy, not knowing any better, was happy to see the defendant.
“He ran towards him but the defendant started kicking him, so much so that he lost one of his shoes.
“It was so bad that Edley lost control of his bowels. The young woman was screaming and told Popham to stop.
“He said; ‘I don’t care, he’s lucky I don’t throw him out the window.’”
Popham then picked Edley up by the ears and swung him around by his neck.
“You can imagine the pain that he must have felt,” Miss Hussain said.
Popham headbutted his girlfriend before marching out of the flat clutching Edley and a knife.
The police officers who later found Popham covered in blood said he told them “meeting me is the worst mistake” before biting one of them.
Edley’s body was found nearby. A vet told police the wound would have caused the dog “pain, unnecessary suffering and distress”.
Miss Hussein said: “Not only did the victim have to deal with her own injuries and her upset children, but she had to deal with the death of a much-loved family pet.”
Popham, who has previous convictions for violence and cultivating cannabis, suffers from emotionally unstable personality disorder.
Popham was jailed for 12 months for causing actual bodily harm to his partner, six months for actual bodily harm to the police officer and two months for criminal damage to the dog, all to run consecutively.
He was handed one month each for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and assaulting a police officer, to run concurrently to each other and the other sentences.
Sentence for animal cruelty and assault: 20 months in prison (includes total of just three months for killing Edley). No mention of a ban).