British Police Officers Filmed Kicking Pet Dogs
Posted by admin on February 4th, 2009TwoBritish Police Officers from North Wales Police who were filmed kicking and throwing their pet dogs around have lost pay, but been allowed to keep their jobs. We must ask if any other public employee had been caught treating their dogs in such a way would they have retained their jobs. We think not.
They admitted causing suffering to the two dogs after a neighbour filmed the abuse at a house in Prestatyn.
They were also given community sentences and were banned from keeping animals for five years.
A hearing at Denbigh magistrates’ court was told that RSPCA officers had been called to the home the pair shared on a number of occasions in spring 2008 by a concerned neighbour.
However, on each visit, inspectors were unable to obtain evidence that the couple’s rottweiler dog called Snoopy or a border collie puppy called Tess had been mistreated.
Evidence
The neighbour then set up a video camera to film the officers’ back yard, capturing the evidence needed to bring the prosecution.
A DVD showing 13 clips of ill treatment was shown to the court.
In one scene Mason was filmed hitting the pup’s head and kicking her.
Later the dog was seen pulling washing from a line before Macleod emerged from the house and chased it to a corner of the yard. Out of shot of the camera the dog could then be heard yelping.
In other scenes, Macleod sprayed the dogs with water and Mason was seen chasing the puppy with what appeared to be a stick.
Mason received a sentence of 120 hours and Macleod received 180 hours. Both were ordered to pay £1,267.10 in costs.
Both officers were removed from frontline duties by North Wales Police pending the outcome of the case against them, and the court had heard they faced losing their jobs.
However, a North Wales Police spokeswoman confirmed on Wednesday that a disciplinary hearing ruled the officers should “forfeit” 10 days’ pay.