A Co Derry man who tortured and strangled a dog to death, and threatened to kill his wife, has been sent to prison for six months.
William Streeter, 29, from Coleraine hung the golden retriever, Mac, by his collar in the garage of his home.
He then kicked the dog with steel toe-capped boots and beat the animal with a metal rod.
The magistrate said it was one of the worst cases involving a dog he had seen during many years in the courts.
The court heard how Streeter told his wife Alison McMonagle 'the bastard will feel this', before kicking the dog with the metal boots.
After the dog died, the accused told his estranged partner: 'You didn't think I had it in me. I did it to him. Think about what I could do to you.'
Streeter, a coachbuilder, was convicted of seven counts of animal cruelty and one of making threats to kill.
He was jailed for six months but freed on bail pending an appeal to the Belfast High Court.
