Man ordered film of pets being killed for kicks

A pub landlord who commissioned a film showing animals being tortured to death for his sexual kicks was jailed for nine months yesterday.

Brian McCann, 47, paid £1,500 for the home-made video, known as a "crush" or "squish" movie. The film showed a number of small pets being stamped on by women wearing high heels and short skirts, Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London heard. The footage included a scene in which a kitten was glued to the floor and killed by a woman with her stiletto heels.

McCann, who has four children, commissioned the video after contacting a producer via a website specialising in such films. Filmed in a pornographic manner it shows scenes of extreme cruelty to animals including mice and guinea pigs. But the most distressing scene was the killing of the eight-week-old kitten.

McCann ordered the video over the internet and asked specifically for images of a kitten being killed. The team of four who made the video were all investigated by Staffordshire Police and faced trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court where they were found guilty.

Jailing McCann yesterday Judge Medawar said: "This material is plainly dreadful, depraved. This type of material is to be discouraged. Those who involve themselves in this filthy trade of animal cruelty and sexual depravity must expect to be treated seriously."

Graham Brown, for the prosecution, told the court: "Crush movies involve the killing of small animals including mice, guinea pigs and kittens. That killing is done cruelly by what is termed crushing or grinding with feet, probably high-heeled feet into an animal until it is dead.

"It is accompanied by a sexual aspect which usually involves women wearing high heels and short skirts.'

The court was told that police were alerted to McCann's activities after the film's director, Craig Chapman, 27, was arrested. Police went through Chapman's computer records and he admitted McCann had requested a crush movie. Detectives raided the Rose McCann public house in Islington on 16 May this year and found 40 video clips from animal "snuff" films on a computer. They also found a series of stills and three videos all containing scenes of animal torture. There were also records of e-mails between the two men discussing the making of the film.

McCann, admitted one charge of conspiracy to publish obscene material. A further count of procuring another to commit animal cruelty, which he denied, was ordered to lie on the court file.

Clare Dobbin, McCann's counsel, said: "He has been visited by terrible shame and disgrace in respect of this. He is clearly a man struggling to understand why he has done what he has done."

Chief Superintendent Barry Fryer, speaking on behalf of the RSPCA's special operations unit, said: "This video is one of the most abhorrent instances of cruelty that our unit has ever come across. It beggars belief that people want to watch such depraved footage."