United Kingdom: Kai Tomlinson, 18, was angry at his girlfriend so he beat her dog to death

UNITED KINGDOM -- A teenager has been jailed for six months after brutally kicking his girlfriend's dog to death following a blazing row.

Kai Tomlinson, 18, from Wallasey, Wirral, repeatedly kicked the 18-month-old King Charles spaniel so hard that her brain stem detached.

RSPCA inspectors then visited the address and found Holly's remains in a plastic bag, buried in the garden at the home he shared with his then girlfriend Jade Connor.

RIP Holly

He initially denied the attach but when he finally admitted it to police, he dubbed it 'f***ing vile' and broke down as he told officers he did it because he was 'p***ed off' with Miss Connor.

Tomlinson was sentenced to 22 weeks in prison and banned from owning animals for life on Tuesday, and ordered to pay costs and victim surcharges of more than £1,000.

Judge Michael Abelson, at Wirral Magistrates Court, said that he would have imposed a longer sentence if guidelines allowed.

He added: 'This is a brutal and unprovoked attack and this example of animal cruelty is one of the worst that I have seen and I have been hearing these cases for many years. You have shown remorse since admitting the attack but I would suggest that that remorse is only for yourself.'

The RSPCA called on the Government to allow lengthier jail terms for such offences, describing Holly's final moments as ones of 'sheer terror'.

Aspiring sports coach Tomlinson had earlier pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal at the same court on May 18.

Chris Murphy, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, told the court that Tomlinson appeared calm when initially interviewed by Merseyside Police.

Tomlinson told officers that anyone could have 'climbed over the fence and kicked the dog' after the attack at the house they shared on December 15 last year.

But when he was re-interviewed in March following an examination of Holly's remains, he broke down in tears and told officers that he had been 'p****d off' when he struck the dog.

The court heard that the teen admitted full responsibility for the attack and claimed his actions were 'f*****g vile'.

Mr Murphy said: 'The defendant admitted during interview that he had anger issues and the row with his girlfriend had left him full of anger and really p****d off.

'He told police that he was aware that he shouldn't have done it and that what he had done was really 'f***ing vile.

'He became agitated and broke down in tears and said to officers 'I'm f*****d. I'm going down, aren't I?'

'Upon examining Holly's body, the pathologist indicated the dog would have suffered significant physical pain and mental terror as she suffered unimaginable injuries.'

Zoe Keene, defending, told the court that the defendant and his family had been the subject of threats since he admitted the attack.

Mrs Keene said: 'Standing before you is a man with no previous convictions, who is educated, from a caring family and has been working with local special needs children towards becoming a sports coach. These proceedings have also taken their toll on his family, who have faced threats, and he is no longer able to leave the house.

'He clearly has anger management issues and I would ask you to consider this as a momentary loss of temper. My client has accepted that he faces a custodial sentence for this offence.'

Judge Abelson, sentencing, told Tomlinson that the case was 'one of the worst of its kind that he had ever seen'.

The teenager showed no emotion as he was taken into custody while members of his own family and his ex-girlfriend's family were in tears in the public gallery.

Judge Abelson said: 'Dogs are the most loyal of animals and I have no doubt that Holly was exactly like that so one can't imagine how anyone with any compassion could do this.

'A lot of these kind of cases involve people who can barely look after themselves and so should never be let near animals in the first place, but it is only once in a while that I see a case of such brutality.

Authorities found where the little dog had been buried

'Your behaviour was wholly unacceptable and I have to send a message to young men like you that you will go to jail for offences like this. If I had not been limited to six months by law then you would have been going to prison for a lot longer but my hands are tied.'

After the 20-minute hearing, RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes said: 'Poor Holly was brutally kicked to death by Tomlinson, apparently so that he could get at something close to his girlfriend. This dog would have been mentally terrorised and in sheer panic as to the beating it was taking.

'A lot of work has gone into ensuring this case was brought to the courts as it's massively important that people cannot get away with this sort of abhorrent cruelty.

'However, I have to say it still troubles me greatly that the final moments of poor Holly would have been of terror. It's just so sad. I'm grateful to the district judge who sentenced Tomlinson to the maximum that he had at his disposal. Many people will be disgusted that it's not enough.

'Do I agree? Absolutely. And so did the courts. This may be something that Parliament wants to reconsider.

'The judge said he would have jailed Tomlinson for considerably longer should the law have allowed. Of course people that commit such horrendous, stomach-churning acts of cruelty to animals should face lengthy jail terms

'I hope the family and owners of Holly can find some closure now knowing that at least we have brought her abuser to court.'

After the sentencing, Holly's owner Jade Connor, 17, said: 'I'm happy now he's been sentenced but it still doesn't seem real.'

(Daily Mail - June 15, 2016)