A man caught on camera kicking and mistreating a dog has been ordered to complete a 60-hour community punishment order.

Andrew Taylor was sentenced by Colchester magistrates yesterday after admitting causing cruelty to an animal at an earlier hearing.

The court heard Taylor, of Maidenburgh Street, Colchester, was captured on CCTV in the town centre shortly after midnight on April 6, while out walking his girlfriend's dog Alfie.

Alison Underhill, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said the 29-year-old was shown kicking the brindle and white-coloured border terrier in the head and underbelly.

Though the dog seemed "submissive", he later kicked it again and lifted it several times off the ground by the lead. She added after the dog was taken into the safe-keeping of the RSPCA later that day, it was examined and found to be healthy and unharmed.

Dieter Kehler, mitigating, argued Taylor would not have been walking the dog at midnight if he had not had a "generally responsible" attitude towards it.

As well as imposing the community punishment order, magistrates banned Taylor from keeping an animal for two years and ordered him to pay £100 costs and £100 towards the dog's boarding costs

Published Thursday July 29, 2004

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