CONVICTED (2021) | Nathan Robert Williams, born 27 October 1990, of 62 Tulip Gardens, Penrith CA11 8BY – subjected his pet dog to a ‘vicious attack’ which involved him repeatedly punching and kicking the terrified animal and ‘slamming’ him into the ground.
Williams originally denied causing his dog Loki unnecessary suffering. But shortly before his trial started he changed his plea to guilty.
Steven Marsh, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said witnesses who were in the area gave detailed descriptions of what they saw.
The defendant arrived at 7am in a van at a layby in Old Tebay to meet four colleagues before going on to their day’s forestry work.
But the dog – inside one of the vans with Williams – defecated on a packed lunch belonging to one of the men.
“This caused a reaction from the defendant,” said Mr Marsh.
Within seconds, Williams grabbed Loki by his neck and back legs and threw him out of the van window on to the grass verge. He then got out of the van and punched the dog’s face as he whimpered, clearly scared.
Another witness saw Williams chase the dog down a nearby lane to a river. She saw him crouching over the dog, punching four or five times before then dragging the dog along the lane by his neck and kicking him three or four times to the body.
As the dog was cowered, too afraid to walk, he picked him up and ‘slammed’ him to the ground, said Mr Marsh. With the dog still unwilling to walk, he again picked him up and slammed him down a second time as Williams swore at him.
Williams went on to do this a third time.
He also kicked Loki again.
When a vet inspected the dog four days later, there were no visible injuries.
“This was a sustained and vicious attack,” said Mr Marsh. “The dog was kicked three separate times; lifted and thrown three times; and on the journey back from the river punched twice. It was a deliberate attempt to cause suffering.
“There’s no justification for punishing a dog and beating it in that way.”
Williams told a probation worker he was angry with the dog for running away but he now felt remorse. His defence lawyer Harry Crowson said: “It was a momentary loss of control.”
After the case, RSPCA investigator Chris Towler said the defendant’s dog – while not suffering any lasting injury – will have suffered distress during the attack.
He paid tribute to the witnessess, whose evidence had allowed the charity to bring the prosecution. “Despite the emotions and the difficulties, they provided the evidence we needed and without that evidence the case would not have come to court.”
Loki will now be released from foster care and rehomed.
The costs of bringing the case – quoted in court at around £4,000 – were so high because both the defence and the prosecution had to instruct experts, though they were eventually not needed.
Sentencing: 12-month community order, with 180 hours of unpaid work; £2,000 towards costs. Banned from keeping animals for just five years (expires November 2026). Deprivation order for Loki.
