Puppy's legs snapped by Wirral man, magistrates are told

Stefan McCormick, of Devonshire Road, had initially claimed the Staffordshire bull terrier had been hurt in a road traffic accident but admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the dog when he appeared before Wirral magistrates today.

Chris Murphy, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, told magistrates that the injuries were so severe that when vets attempted to examine it, the dog “screamed” out in pain before it “knuckled” over onto its forelimbs, collapsing head-first onto the table.

The court heard that 23-year-old McCormick had initially denied causing the injuries, claiming the dog had been run over, before changing his plea to guilty on Thursday.

“The vet said that in her opinion the dog’s injuries were not consistent with a dog fight or a road traffic collision,” said Mr Murphy.

“Both legs would have needed to be pulled apart with a great deal of force at the same time to cause the injuries.”

Mr Murphy told the court the vet believed the dog had suffered extreme trauma but was unable to determine how long the injuries had been sustained.

He added: “She said the only appropriate action was to have the dog euthanised and it was done so immediately.”

Magistrates heard how a second vet believed the dog had been picked up by its front legs and swung into a solid object by McCormick.

Sarah Ferguson, defending, requested sentencing be adjourned to allow time for medical and pre-sentence reports to be produced.

Chair of the bench Keith Bate said: “All sentencing options, including custody, remain open to us.”

McCormick will be sentenced on October 6. He remains on unconditional bail.

RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes said: "I'm grateful that we are finally getting towards the end of one of the most horrific and brutal cases I have ever dealt with. 

"Finally we are getting to the point where we can do little Ty justice.

"I hope that the magistrates deal with him accordingly."