JAIL FOR MAN WHO BEAT DOG
Arthur Rook, 38, beat an old arthritic dog with a poker as the Labrador cross lay on a sofa at the home of his ex-wife, Jane, and then fractured its skull with a large stone.Rook, who has since been banned from keeping dogs for five years, had his sentence confirmed by Taunton Crown Court yesterday after an appeal was withdrawn.
Following the ten-minute hearing, RSPCA Inspector John Pollock, said it was one of the worst cases he had seen in ten years.
"I have dealt with various cruelty cases and I would place this in the top three.
On a scale of one to ten, the injuries to this dog would definitely rate a ten," he added.
A previous court hearing was told that the 15-year-old dog, Bobby, screamed with pain as Rook struck him four or five times with the poker.
Rook, of Crock Lane, Bridport, kept saying he was going to kill the dog and when Mrs Rook went to phone the police she saw him pick up a large stone from a fireplace arrangement and bring it down on Bobby's head.
Mrs Rook, of Southmead Crescent, Crewkerne, said in evidence: "I was in a state of shock because I had witnessed a murder." She told the court she had earlier called a vet to treat Bobby because he was suffering from arthritis and Rook said three times that the dog should be put down.
Rook was arrested for assault when police arrived and she placed Bobby under a table for safety.
The following morning, she comforted and stroked him and called the RSPCA.
Bobby was later put down by a vet and a post-mortem revealed the dog had a depressed fracture of the skull and fractured ribs.
Inspector Pollock told the court that he had found dog hairs on a corner of the rock and said Rook had made a statement in which he said he was an animal lover.
He had denied hitting the dog and said he had had a few drinks but was not inebriated.
Alan Fuller, representing Rook, said there was insufficient evidence to conclude that the rock had been used and there was "real doubt" whether Mrs Rook was accurate and truthful.
Referring to psychiatric and pre-sentence reports yesterday, Mr Fuller said Rook had many problems but there was no realistic alternative to custody.
He asked for leave to withdraw the appeal against a four-month sentence imposed by South Somerset magistrates.
Judge Graham Hume Jones said: "That's a very sensible decision."
