CONVICTED (2013) | Nathan John Smith, born 15 November 1985, of 77 Hall Street, St Helens, Merseyside WA10 1EJ – viciously beat his pet dog to death, wrapped his corpse like a mummy and buried him in a field.

Nathan Smith admitted inflicting unnecessary suffering on his four-year-old black and white Staffordshire bull terrier, Winston – which ultimately led to the dog’s death.

Smith inflicted repeated violent attacks against Winston between August and September 2012, leaving him with several broken ribs, massive hemorrhaging, a bleeding liver and a brain injury so severe that the animal contracted meningitis. This proved fatal.

The cruelty was uncovered by Smith’s former partner Demi Partington. She was shown Winston’s body, which was in the living room, wrapped in a peculiar way, in a sheet, bin bags and with tape across his muzzle and body. Smith told her that the dog had died after falling downstairs and into a bucket of bleach.

Smith claimed he then tried to wash the dog down before putting him “out of his misery”.

Ms Partington was sceptical of Smith’s explanation and later led the RSPCA to a nearby recreation area where Smith had buried the dog. Winston’s body was exhumed and taken away for a post-mortem, which showed an appalling catalogue of injuries.

Despite the severity of the cruelty Smith had inflicted on a defenceless animal, he avoided a custodial sentence on the grounds that he had “anger management issues” that would not be properly addressed in prison.

Sentence: 24 weeks in prison, suspended for two years, 300 hours’ unpaid work, £1,000 in costs. Lifetime ban on keeping animals,

St Helens Star