A Co Derry man who tortured and strangled a dog to death has been sentenced to six months in prison.
William Streeter (29), hung the golden retriever by the collar in his garage in Coleraine, kicked him with steel toecapped boots and beat him with a metal rod in October 2006.
The court was told that after the dog died, Streeter told his former wife Alison McMonagle: "You didn't think I had it in me. I did it to him - think about what I could do to you."
The dog was left bloodstained with broken ribs and had bled from his brain and lungs. He was buried in the garden before investigators exhumed him.
Coleraine magistrate Richard Wilson said it was one of the worst cases involving animals he had seen during many years in the courts.
Streeter was sentenced for seven counts of animal cruelty and one of making threats to kill. However, he was released on bail pending an appeal at North Antrim Magistrates' Court.