Man guilty of killing dog after body found tied to railings

Everald James will be sentenced in January

Everald James was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal (The Metropolitan Police)

Police have convicted a man for cruelty after he killed his dog.

Everald James, from Mottingham, was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, which is contrary to the Animal Welfare Act 2006, at Bexleyheath Magistrates' Court.

The 48-year-old denied the charge, according to the News Shopper.

His conviction followed his arrest in October.

Police responded to reports that a man had killed his dog - believed to be a bullmastiff called Boyzee - at Beaconsfield Parade in south-east London.

Officers attended the scene to find the body of the dead dog tied to railings outside a flat.

The animal had rope around its neck.

According to the News Shopper, in the post-mortem examination, asphyxia was named as one of the factors that could have caused death. There were also signs of blunt force trauma and a struggle.

The news site reported that Harlon Horsford, a neighbour, gave evidence in court. He said: “[James] had the dog with a rope wrapped round its throat, repeatedly hitting the dog in the face and throat with his left hand.”

James has been bailed and will be sentenced on 14 January, according to the Metropolitan Police.

Earlier this year, the RSPCA said police officers investigated 159,831 complaints of animal cruelty in 2014, up by more than 6,000 from 2013. However, the number of convictions fell by more than 300 to 1,029 in 2014 from the previous year.

The charity said it had issued 82,746 welfare and advice notices in 2014 - an increase from 2013 when 76,810 were handed out. "The vast majority of this advice is followed by owners who do want to do their best for their animals," said a spokesperson.