A Wigan man has been disqualified from keeping animals for ten years and sentenced to 16 weeks suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a bull breed type dog named Congo.
Matthew Hurst from Wigan was also made to undertake 20 RAR (Rehabilitation Activity Requirement) days, 120 hours of unpaid work, pay £2558 costs and £120 victim surcharge. The sentencing hearing took place at Wigan Magistrates Court on 17 November.
When RSPCA officers received video footage in April 2022 from a member of the public showing the physical abuse and blunt force trauma inflicted on Congo, they were shocked at what they saw.
Speaking after the conclusion of the case, RSPCA inspector Ryan King said: “The video showed a man sitting on a sofa, watching a black bull breed dog either urinating or defecating on the floor. The man then stands up and proceeds to stamp on the dog with his foot around fifteen times with great force, shouting ‘what are you doing’.
“He then reaches down to the dog, which is now lying on the floor, grabs it by the head and slams the dog onto the floor again with great force several times. This is the worst beating I have ever seen during my three years as an RSPCA inspector.”
Inspector King took Congo to the RSPCA’s animal hospital where he was thoroughly examined – luckily no physical injuries were evident – and the video footage was shared with vets,
Analysing the video, the vet reported that the dog showed fear and distress for the total period that he is visible within the footage (38 seconds). The vet said that the man’s actions in the footage would have caused the dog to suffer fear and distress as well as pain from the twenty-one blunt force blows to Congo’s abdomen, chest and head The vet concluded that Congo was made to suffer as a consequence of physical abuse and the person responsible for his welfare had failed to protect him from injury, pain and suffering.
Congo was signed over to the RSPCA by the defendant and will be rehomed in due course.
To help the RSPCA continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals in desperate need of care please visit our website or call our donation line on 0300 123 8181.
