CONVICTED (2014) | Chris Stock, born around 1990, of Wiltshire Way, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 – for kicking a dog and sending her “flying into a wall”
Stock was convicted in his absence of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
The court heard Stock was outside the Guinea Butt pub in Calverley Road on May 14, 2014, when the incident occurred.
A pub employee spotted the crime when he was watching CCTV from the pub’s system. He saw Stock kicking his dog Sandy with enough force she went flying into the wall about a yard away.
Andrew Kirby from the RSPCA visited Stock two days later at his home.
Prosecuting for the RSPCA, Andrew Wiles, said that Stock told Mr Kirby he was ‘off his head’ and lost his temper, but knew it didn’t excuse him kicking the dog.
Mr Kirby said: “There is no doubt that the defendant caused a lot of unnecessary suffering to this poor dog.
“He kicked her very hard on her side and the force was strong enough to knock the 33kg dog off her feet and send her flying across the floor.
“She visibly flinched and ran off in distress.”
The mastiff was later taken for examination by a local vet, Jason Hadley. He was shown the CCTV footage, and said the animal was ‘clearly kicked hard’.
The court heard Stock had previous convictions including for violence but none involving animals.
Mr Wiles said the RSPCA had put the dog in boarding kennels and that Scott had “declined to relinquish” her.
He also said that when Scott was sentenced there would be a case for a deprivation, meaning Sandy could be rehomed permanently.
Sentence: unknown