A man who cut his elderly dog’s throat with a knife before burying him in a rhubarb patch has been jailed for eight months.

RSPCA officers described David William Betley’s actions as “shocking”, after a vet discovered the dog’s windpipe had been completely cut during the incident.

Betley, 58, was sentenced to four months in prison by Worcester magistrates on Friday 11 October, having pleaded guilty to two charges of causing unnecessary suffering. The terms will run consecutively.

He was also barred from keeping all animals for life and ordered to pay a total of £537 in costs and a victim surcharge.

The case relates to a 17-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier, named Pincher, who also had osteoarthritis and was found to be severely underweight following the incident on 21 February this year.

Throat severed

Police and RSPCA officers were called to the village of Broadway, Worcestershire, to reports of a dog being attacked in Mill Avenue.

In a witness statement, animal rescue officer Freya Lamb said police had recovered the dog’s body and told her he “had been buried in the rhubarb patch in the garden”.

The court was told the incident had also been filmed by members of the public and a vet who viewed the footage said Betley could be seen “restraining” Pincher before severing his throat.

A subsequent veterinary examination also found he was seriously underweight, with a body condition score of only 1/9.

Betley, who was not legally represented during the hearing, admitted cutting Pincher’s throat and failing to seek veterinary treatment in the weeks prior to his death.

‘Distressing case’

In mitigation, the bench was told he was sorry for his actions, which he knew were wrong, and had reacted having been frightened by Pincher’s behaviour.

Speaking after the hearing, RSPCA inspector Nicola Johnson thanked witnesses who had alerted them and police to the incident.

She added: “I can only imagine Pincher’s suffering both mentally and physically while this unnecessary and shocking act was taking place.

“This was a distressing case for all of us to work on, but I’m pleased we could bring this matter to court and get justice for Pincher.”