Ayr man jailed for violent attack on his pet dog
John Poole threw the golden retriever onto a busy road
A man who battered his pet dog, threw it against a wall and hurled it onto a busy road in Ayr town centre has been jailed for four months.
Shocked witnesses looked on as 42-year-old John Poole punched and kicked his defenceless golden retriever Biscuit- unconscious then threw him against a wall and hurled him in to the road - into the path of oncoming traffic.
He was arrested over the January 27, 2018 incident and held in police custody before appearing in the dock at Ayr Sheriff Court last month to admit his guilt over the attack.
Poole, of Ayr, admitted causing the dog unnecessary suffering by punching and kicking it on the head and body, throwing it against a wall and into the road, leaving it injured, in breach of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act.
He also pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, by shouting at police officers and threatening them with violence, in his home street, in breach of Section 38(1) of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010.
Police were called to the scene pf the attack around 7pm on the Saturday night in question, and it's understood Biscuit was rushed to a local vet for treatment - but will suffer no lasting damage, and has since been rehomed.
Defence solicitor Mandy Stewart told the court that Poole is an alcoholic who is trying to overcome his addiction while complying with a court order imposed in another case.
She said he had relapsed around Christmas, culminating in him attacking his pet in the manner he admitted.
Sheriff Carole Cunninghame remanded Poole in custody ahead of sentencing and adjourned the case for background reports to be prepared.
And, when Poole returned to the dock on Monday to learn his fate, the sheriff ruled there was only one appropriate sentence.
She jailed him for 4 months for the offence, and also ordered him to relinquish ownership of Biscuit.