Man who killed and cooked his pet dog jailed for two years

The former mental health nurse used a lead to strangle the pet

Dominic O'Connor, 28, has also been banned from keeping animals for life (Pacemaker)

A man who killed, butchered and cooked his dog has been jailed for two years.

Psychopathic Dominic O'Connor, 28, will serve another two years under licence in the community and has been banned from keeping animals for life over his "disgraceful" and "heinous" behaviour.

The former mental health nurse used a lead to strangle the helpless pet and then fed it to his other dog in Northern Ireland in December 2016.

Passing sentence at Downpatrick Crown Court, judge Piers Grant told O'Connor: "The killing of this innocent, vulnerable dog has clearly been your calculation for some time."

He added: "It is clear that you determined to kill this dog and in doing so inflict on this creature serious cruelty.

"In any view this behaviour is barbaric."

O'Connor bought the dog on the Gumtree website from someone who expected that the animal would be well-nurtured and looked after, the judge said.

Instead, he choked it to death with a lead at his home in Roden Street in the village of Kircubbin, Co Down, at the second attempt after switching leads.

He shaved, butchered and cooked its body and used it as pet food for his other dog, Shadow, Judge Grant said.

The maximum sentence was five years, or two-and-a-half behind bars.

The judge added: "It is appropriate to recognise that the level of cruelty inflicted on this poor animal is very much at the upper end of the spectrum for this type of offending."

He said the action was calculated and O'Connor was aware of the risk of detection when he disposed of some of the remains in a black plastic bag in Portavogie Harbour, Co Down.

PA