A WIRRAL man who killed his pet Jack Russell by inflicting a blunt force trauma to the head and dumped its body in a bag in the garden has been jailed.

Chris McCormick, 49, from Birkenhead, was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison and banned from keeping animals for 10 years after admitting a charge of causing unnecessary suffering to his pet, called Charlie

Wirral Magistrates' Court was told at a hearing how RSPCA inspectors were called to McCormick’s house by police who were in attendance on another matter.

Officers attending the house on September 2 last year came across the body of the dog in a bag in the garden and reported the matter to the RSPCA.

RSPCA inspector Jenny Bethell was sent to investigate and during questioning McCormick said the dog bit his hand and he pushed him off the sofa but said Charlie seemed fine afterwards.

He said the next day he found Charlie dead with blood coming from his mouth.

Wirral Globe:

Charlie's body was found in this bag in the garden. Picture: RSPCA 

A post-mortem conducted by veterinary surgeon Sean Taylor said Charlie had sustained a blunt force trauma to the head and a further injury afterwards which caused his death.

The dog had a fractured skull and had suffered a brain trauma.

He added that Charlie would not have died immediately from the first trauma and said the injuries were consistent with "physical abuse in the home environment".

A statement from Mr Taylor read: "In my opinion the evidence in this case indicates that the dog sustained injury to his head after which he remained conscious and capable of suffering allowing him to swallow the blood that had been caused by that injury.

"This injury was later followed by a further injury to the left side of his head that rendered him unconscious with death following soon after.

"Histology of the haemorrhaged tissues suggests that this dog survived for up to a maximum of four hours after receiving the first injuries but may also have died within a number of minutes of sustaining those injuries."

RSPCA inspector Jenny Bethell said: "During my interview with McCormick he admitted that he had taken on Charlie a year before after taking him from previous owners who beat him.

"McCormick also admitted to me that he had hit Charlie before.

"It is so sad to think about the suffering Charlie had endured."