CONVICTED (2021) | Reece Peter Stubbs, born 12 December 1999, of 1 Hillerby Lane, Hornsea HU18 1AR – punched a dog three times, leaving her screaming in pain.

Career criminal Stubbs, who at 21 is already a father of two (but lives with his mummy), was charged with assault causing actual bodily harm, criminal damage and unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.

He admitted the assault and criminal damage and was found guilty after trial of committing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

The court heard how a man was walking his dog in Hull on December 30, 2020, at around 5pm when a small black dog came running up playfully.
However, Stubbs and another man came up and Stubbs picked up the dog by the scruff of the neck and then punched her several times. The dog screamed and howled.

The dog walker took exception to this and crossed the road to challenge Stubbs.

But Stubbs picked up the dog crate in his possession and threw it at the man which hit him in the nose and wrist.

The victim’s glasses fell off and Stubbs and the other man stamped on them and threatened the man further.

They walked away but when the victim’s torch was turned on Stubbs thought the victim was filming him on his phone. He went up and threw three ‘haymaker’ punches at the victim.

Stubbs previously appeared at Hull Magistrates’ Court in February last year.

That court had heard how Stubbs had moved to Kingswood in Hull from Hornsea to be with his partner and their children.

Despite having no previous convictions, Stubbs ended up committing five offences in just six months.

He committed his first offence of assault at the Co-op in Kingswood on August 28 2019 when he threw a can at a woman.

Between October 9-20 Stubbs, together with other males, also committed two theft offences.

The first involved syphoning petrol from cars in which £230 worth of fuel was stolen. Stubbs also admitted stealing two vacuum cleaners and a transformer from the new homes being built near to his home.

On New Year’s Eve 2019 Stubbs committed a public order offence in a street in Kingswood.

Then on January 12, 2020, Stubbs was involved in a violent confrontation with a neighbour in Kingswood, punching his victim in a “sustained attack”.

But rather than walk away, Stubbs punched the man to the ground and continued to hit him on the ground.

The magistrates’ court heard how Stubbs had not been able to cope with the responsibility of being a dad while he also mixed with the wrong crowd and made some poor decisions.

Catherine Kioko-Gilligan, mitigating, again reiterated the fact Stubbs had previously had no convictions before the series of offending in the last 18 months.

She said: “The defendant became associated with a number of negative influences. But he has since made positive steps to address these issues and he now has casual employment.

“He wants to become a positive role model for his young children who are just one and four years old. He knows he must change or he will end up in prison.”

The court also heard how Stubbs had not engaged with the previous community order, only completing 15 hours of the 300 hours of unpaid work he should complete.

But, despite this, Judge Ahmed Nadim was prepared to give him one last chance.

He told Stubbs he will defer sentence for six months – until January 17 – during which time he must complete his unpaid work and 17 rehabilitation activity days.

“You had everything going for you but your behaviour over the last couple of years and significantly compromised your life potential,” he said. “It is appropriate for you to be sent to prison for this disgraceful behaviour.

“But I will give you one last opportunity to demonstrate that you are capable of and willing to curb your ways and embrace a law-abiding lifestyle. Your attempts to complete the last community order has been woeful.

Judge Nadim told Stubbs he must complete all the unpaid work, do the rehabilitation days and stay out of trouble until January 17 otherwise he can “expect to be in prison for a substantial period of time”.

Hull Live