Thug who tried to slice off ear of girlfriend's puppy after row is jailed

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

The three-week-old Staffordshire bull-terrier, pictured here at RSPCA's Halifax, Huddersfield and District branch animal centre after the attack, was left screaming in agony as its right ear hung by a thread


A thug who tried to slice a puppy's ear off following a row with his girlfriend has been jailed.

Shamrez Ali Wasim, 27, used a knife or scissors to attack the three-week-old Staffordshire bull-terrier cross in Newsome, Huddersfield.

The animal was left screaming in agony as its right ear hung by a thread.

Wasim was jailed for 20 weeks after he was found guilty by Huddersfield magistrates yesterday after a trial.

He had pleaded not guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

Sentencing him, chairman of the bench John Scott branded Wasim's actions despicable.
'This was a very serious offence and could easily have resulted in the death of the dog,' Scott said.

'You caused it extreme pain and suffering. It was a deliberate act and we find it despicable. No right-thinking person would have done this.'


The court heard police were called by Wasim's partner, Charlene Marshall, to her home in Newsome on the evening of June 24 last year.

Pc Susan Knowles told the magistrates Miss Marshall, who has a five-year-old child with Wasim, was visibly upset when she arrived, saying Wasim had injured the puppy.
Pc Knowles said: She was very distressed, crying and visibly shaking.

'She was obviously very upset and didn't want to go back in the house because the sight of the puppy was far too upsetting for her.

'I could hear the sound of the dog screaming and yelping inside.'

Officers went in and found a dog basket covered in blood, with the puppy lying inside it.

Pc Knowles added: 'It looked to me as though its ear had been cut off entirely.
At a previous hearing, the court had heard Wasim had given his Staffordshire bitch and her eight puppies to Miss Marshall to look after.

Two days later, the couple argued over his alleged drinking and Wasim threatened to cut off a puppy's ear.

Miss Marshall was out when Wasim attacked the dog.

The vet's bill for treating the injured animal came to more than £400. It has now been given to new owners, along with the other eight dogs.

Miss Marshall had been due to give evidence as a witness in Wasim's trial, but failed to turn up at an initial hearing.

She was brought into court under a warrant at a later date, but claimed she did not remember the incident and could have been drunk at the time.

Wasim, whose family owns two dogs, did not answer police questions in interview and offered no explanation for what had happened in court.

His solicitor, Marnat Ali, told magistrates there was not enough evidence to convict him. But the bench took less than half-an-hour to deliver their verdict and found Wasim guilty.

As well as the prison sentence, they banned him from keeping a dog for five years.
There was no separate penalty for a separate offence of being drunk and disorderly.
Wasim is due to lodge an appeal against his conviction and sentence at Bradford Crown Court.

source: dailymail