A man has been jailed after he killed his own bulldog-type dog after it attacked a young girl of just 8-years-old.
Wayne McGrath, 47, beat the animal to death with a hammer after it mauled 8-year-old Annie McFadden in Kinnaird Avenue, Belfast, in May last year.
He was sentenced to four months in prison on Tuesday after admitting charges of being the keeper of a dog involved in an attack and causing it unnecessary suffering.
His prison sentence has so far been suspected following an appeal.
The dog, which wasn’t on a leash, had continued to maul the young girl despite McGrath and another man punching and kicking it as the attack was occurring, the court heard.
A prosecutor said: “The dog caught up with the child and got on top of her, and was shaking her and mauling at her chest.”
The next day, McGrath told police he killed the dog by hitting over the head with a hammer twice before burning its body.
Annie was left with permanent scars after being bitten on the head, shoulder and arm at least 16 times.
Mr McGrath claimed he bludgeoned his dog to death because he could not afford a professional euthanisation and had felt pressured to put it down after receiving death threats following the attack.
McGrath, of Marsden Gardens, Belfast, has also been banned from keeping animals for life pending an appeal.
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Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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