Eyewitnesses said Mr Kick refused to stop the attack.
A Roehampton man has been banned from keeping a dog in his council flat after he allowed his bull terrier to kill a neighbour’s cat.
Eyewitnesses say Richard Kick calmly swigged from a can of lager and looked on impassively while his dog savaged the cat in Lennox Estate last summer.
Residents said they thought Mr Kick had encouraged the terrier to attack, while others said he was more concerned about making sure he didn’t spill any of his beer.
Onlookers, who said that they saw Mr Kick’s dog trap the cat in its jaws, shouted for him to control his dog which he was holding on a lead, but he refused to do so.
The attack, which had lasted for some minutes, finally ended when the dog dropped the cat from its jaws and Mr Kick pulled him on his lead back to his flat. The cat died a few moments later.
At Wimbledon magistrates court, MR Kick was convicted of two offences under animal welfare laws, sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid community work and banned from keeping a dog for five years. He was also ordered to pay £250 costs.
The council’s cabinet member for housing Cllr Paul Ellis paid tribute to those who helped ensure justice was done.
“Our dog control team and the RSCPA did a very good job in bringing the case to court, but I would especially like to thank the many residents who bravely came forward to provide witness statements,” he said.
“They were clearly sickened and horrified by what they saw and as a result they stood up and they were counted.”
“Mr Kick has shown himself to be completely unfit to look after an animal and as a result he will never again be allowed to keep a dog in any Wandsworth Council-owned property.
He added that if he causes any more problems to his neighbours, he risks being evicted from his council flat.
Photo courtesy of abejorro34, with thanks.
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