Police officers admit abusing dogs

A neighbour captured Constables Craig Macleod, 34, and Anja Mason, 29, on film, kicking, hitting and violently yanking the pets from the ground.

Thirteen incidents were put to the couple after the outraged neighbour bought a video camera and filmed 240 hours' footage of them outside with their pets, Tess, a collie pup, and Snoopy, a "submissive" rottweiler.

After McLeod admitted two counts of causing unnecessary suffering and his girlfriend admitted one count, they breathed a sigh of relief hearing they would not be jailed.

Glen Murphy, prosecuting for the RSPCA, told Denbigh Magistrates' Court in North Wales: "It appeared to the RSPCA there was no reasonable cause for the level of chastisement being given - the force was excessive and unacceptable. "It did not seem to relate to any form of training regime."

The couple, who live in The Meadows, Prestatyn, were forced to give up Tess and Snoopy, who they owned for four months and four years respectively, when they were questioned. Mr Murphy said Macleod, a divorced father of of two children aged nine and 15, claimed in interview he "disciplined" the puppy to stop her choking on sticks. And he blamed a former police colleague, a dog handler, for telling him the best way to deal with rottweilers was to hit them hard in the snout.

Macleod, an officer for 11 years, and Mason, an officer for seven years, sat next to each other in court and looked straight ahead throughout. Recalling the opinion of a vet who viewed clips of the abuse, Mr Murphy said: "It had been suggested the reason for the attacks was to discipline the dogs.

"In modern times it is considered totally unacceptable to use violence to train any animal. The vet concluded that both dogs suffered as a result of the physical force used against them and said in his opinion these actions were not those of a reasonable or competent animal owner."

Andy Hutchinson, defending both defendants, who have been removed from front line policing duties, said they really loved their dogs. That was shown by them agreeing to give them up, rather than put them in kennels during the investigation, he said. Their lawyer said Mason was having a "particularly bad time", a "stressful time", when she hurt the dog and a report was submitted to court from her GP.

North Wales Police are conducting an internal investigation, said a spokesman. "Therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time," he added.