KEVIN DIXON FROM HOLMFIRTH CONVICTED OF CRUELTY AFTER DOG'S HORRIFIC MURDER IN HUDDERSFIELD
Kevin Dixon, a self-employed joiner originally from Newsome and more recently residing on Field Road in Holmfirth, was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering and cruelty to a dog named Tempa.The incident took place in Huddersfield, where Dixon was accused of deliberately slashing the Akita-type dog multiple times, leading to its death.
According to court proceedings, Dixon was charged with inflicting severe injuries on Tempa, a dog owned by Amanda Hamer, who is the dog’s grandmother.
Hamer had been unable to walk Tempa regularly due to a serious whiplash injury she sustained, so Dixon had been walking the dog twice daily as a favor.
The incident that led to the dog's death occurred after Tempa reportedly bit a woman at a house party in Newsome, Huddersfield.
The dog was known to have a history of biting people, which was part of the context surrounding the events.
On the evening of May 16, 2014, Miss Hamer hosted a social gathering at her home in Newsome and invited Dixon to join.
During the event, the dog bit a woman in the face, prompting concern and action from the authorities.
The RSPCA was contacted, and their advice was to have Tempa taken to a veterinarian the following Monday morning with the intention of euthanasia, due to the dog's aggressive history.
However, Dixon chose to take matters into his own hands rather than follow the recommended course of action.
He claimed he would take Tempa for a walk, but his true intentions remained unclear.
Approximately an hour later, Dixon returned alone to Miss Hamer’s property.
When asked about the whereabouts of Tempa, Dixon responded cryptically, saying, “I have done what needed to be done.” He then mentioned an axe and added, “It felt good, it was not easy, it struggled,” revealing the brutal nature of the act.
The owner, Miss Hamer, was reportedly shocked and distressed by Dixon’s admission and his demeanor.
The incident was reported to the police, who initially received conflicting accounts from Dixon.
He told officers that he had given the dog to a passer-by, but when arrested on May 19, 2014, he admitted to killing Tempa himself and led police to the location where he had buried the dog.
In March 2015, Dixon was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering and cruelty by killing Tempa “in an inappropriate and inhumane manner.” The court was presented with evidence from the RSPCA demonstrating that the dog had suffered during the attack, emphasizing that the manner of killing was the core issue rather than the act itself.
As part of his sentencing, Dixon received an 18-week jail sentence, which was suspended for two years.
Additionally, he was subjected to a curfew and ordered to pay costs amounting to £1,500.
The case drew significant attention to animal cruelty laws and the importance of humane treatment of pets in the Huddersfield area.
Updated to add the folloeing: or two other violent attacks Kevin Dixon attacked couple and his ex-partner A Newsome man who axed a dog to death has been jailed for nearly three years after he was involved in two violent incidents in the space of a few weeks.
Kevin Dixon, 37, attacked neighbour Mark Hunter and his wife in November last year after the couple went round to his home on Castle Avenue to check he was alright.
Dixon pushed Mr Hunter’s wife causing her to fall down some steps into a fence and when her husband intervened he was pushed to the ground by the defendant.
Prosecutor David McGonigal said Dixon was kicking Mr Hunter in the body as his wife shouted at him to stop.
“The defendant then stamped on Mr Hunter’s ankle causing it to break,” said Mr McGonigal.
“The defendant threw some unknown liquid over Mrs Hunter before closing his door.” Mr McGonigal said the Hunters had previously had a friendly relationship with Dixon and they had looked after him in the past, providing him with food and clothing.
Dixon was bailed after being interviewed by police about that incident, but five weeks later he was involved in another violent attack at the Dalton home of his former partner Toni Gledhill.
Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday (Mon) that during the violence Dixon grabbed Miss Gledhill by the throat and armed himself with knives.
Mr McGonigal said at one point Dixon held a knife to his stomach and told the complainant to push it in.
Dixon then pinned her down on the bed and threatened to set fire to the room with both of them in there.
The court heard that Dixon did in fact set light to the curtains but he then pulled them down before starting to set light to the spray from an aerosol can.
Dixon eventually broke down in tears, but he went on to attack Miss Gledhill again after she sought sanctuary in the bathroom.
The incident came to an end when the complainant managed to get out of the house and raise the alarm.
Dixon, who was given a suspended jail sentence after being convicted of animal cruelty in April 2015, pleaded guilty to wounding Mr Hunter and assaulting his wife.
He also admitted a charge of affray in relation to the violence at Miss Gledhill’s home.
Barrister Chloe Fairley, for Dixon, said he had spent the last three months in hospital receiving treatment after being remanded in custody a year ago and he was now in a very different state than he was last year.
She said that Dixon was “not a well man” at the time of the offences.
Jailing Dixon for a total of 33 months Judge David Hatton QC said the defendant had been suffering from a self-induced psychotic episode, but both offences were unpleasant.
He said Dixon’s attack on the Hunters was committed against people who had nothing but his welfare at heart and his former partner had been severely threatened and terrified during the attack in her home.
In April 2015 Dixon axed an Akita-type dog called Tempa to death after it bit several people including a four-year-old boy – but he claimed he didn’t cause unnecessary suffering because the animal was dead within 10 seconds.
He was convicted of cruelty and magistrates imposed an 18-week jail sentence suspended for two years.
He was also issued with a six week 7pm-7am daily curfew and was ordered to pay £1,500 towards the £2,214.98 RSPCA costs, which included expert witnesses at the trial.
He was also banned from owning or looking after animals for 10 years.
