Judge rejects man’s claim over dog killing
A judge has rejected a Christchurch man’s claim that a dog owner wanted him to kill her dog and thanked him after he had stabbed the animal to death.
The owner described it as “a loved and cherished dog” that had given her comfort through difficult times and she regarded it more as a friend than a pet.
Andrew Joseph Salisbury, a 37-year-old self-employed plasterer was today sentenced to five months home detention after admitting the charge of cruel illtreatment of the dog.
Defence counsel Hamish Davies told the court that Salisbury was now remorseful for the offence which had had a huge impact on his life so far. He had broken up with his then partner, and Salisbury told the pre-sentence report interviewer that he had been shunned by many of his friends and associates.
Salisbury was telephoned after a visiting dog put in his backyard had killed a pet rabbit in a hutch. Mr Davies said he had returned home thinking “what if it had been a child who the dog had attacked”.
The police said Salisbury took a kitchen knife and stabbed the dog, and it had begun yelping before he dragged it from beneath a car and stabbed it twice more and kicked it in the head.
Mr Davies said Salisbury was thanked and his hand was shaken by the dog owner, but her mother had later raised an issue with it. “That’s where their grievance really came from.”
Judge Tony Couch said: “That is totally at odds with the victim impact statement which describes the actions as cruel and uncalled for. I am sure nobody would have suggested the dog be killed in this cruel way.”
Judge Couch said it was serious offending, but he noted that Salisbury had no previous convictions. He also noted that he had been criticised and rejected by people for his actions in a cruel killing which had caused the dog extreme distress and pain before it died.
He ordered Salisbury to pay the owner $500 to cover the cremation costs for the dog.
Category: News
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