United Kingdom: Jordan Thomasson found not guilty of animal cruelty, despite stabbing his dog in the head

UNITED KINGDOM -- A dog owner who hit his pet over the head with a 2.5ft long samurai sword after the dog bit him has been found not guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

Jordan Thomasson struck the five-year-old German Shepherd called Kaiser ‘two or three times’ with the weapon outside his home in Little Hulton after the dog attacked him.

He said the dog had 'gone for' a girl at his house and when he tried to get outside the home he lived with his mother on Highgate Lane, the dog followed him.

Mr Thomasson, 24, now of Alexander Road, Walkden , said: “I was seeing this girl and she had stayed over. We were messing about in the front room. The dog went for the girl and was jumping up to bite her.”

He said he grabbed the dog but it then latched onto his buttock.

[where's the photo/proof of this alleged wound?]

Mr Thomasson, who was formerly in the Army, said: “I was scared.”

He then picked up a samurai sword from near the front door, that belonged to his mum’s partner, and opened the door to let the girl and himself out - but the dog chased him.

He said: “I hit him two or three times, he was attacking me.”

In police interview he denied that the dog had bitten him but said in court that was because he was worried the dog would be put down.

He had the dog since it was a puppy and said it was like his ‘best mate’.

Mr Thomasson’s friend, Matthew Howell, who was in a car outside the house when it happened also gave evidence and described the dog as 'like something out of a film' as it was barking loudly and 'baring teeth' ready to pounce.

RSPCA officers said the two inch wound had 'gone through the skin and muscle and fractured the dog’s sinews'.

A photograph was shown in court of the dog's wound.

Mr Thomasson pleaded guilty an earlier hearing to being in possession of an offensive weapon, but denied the charge of causing suffering to an animal.

Mitigating, Ellie Akhgar, said he had not told the truth initially because he was worried the dog would be put down.

A neighbor also gave evidence stating he had seen the man hit the dog up to eight times, from around 40 ft away. He said he hit the dog a number of times with considerable force, and the dog was just stood at his side [not acting aggressive at all].

Chair of the bench, Dr Lorraine Lighton, said Mr Howell would have seen more clearly what happened and said photographs of the dog’s injury were more consistent with being struck two or three times.

He was found not guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, but will be sentenced at a later date for being in possession of an offensive weapon.

(Manchester Evening News - Sept 18, 2016)