Co Down man to plead guilty to 'shocking act of cruelty' to a dog

Stephen Morrison appeared at Newtownards Magistrates’ Court by video-link from prison where he has been held since he was captured on CCTV punching a dog and swinging it by the collar.

Defence counsel told the court that despite the fact the full police file has not yet been completed, “he wishes to enter a plea of guilty before the court and that has been communicated to the PPS”.

A prosecuting lawyer highlighted, however, that with the file still outstanding, the PPS had not yet decided whether to prosecute the case in the Petty Sessions or to elevate the matter to the Crown Court.

“I say that purely on the basis that there’s been no evidence received on the potential harm inflicted on this animal,” he told the court.

Morrison, from Cayman Avenue in Bangor, is in custody charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a dog on January 22.

When the 34-year-old first appeared in court last month, a police officer outlined police received a report of a male “being cruel to a dog in an area of Bangor” at around 8.40am that morning.

She told the court how CCTV footage taken from a doorbell camera had been “circulated widely on social media” which showed Morrison “shouting and swearing in an agitated state”.

“He has with him a small dog and the footage shows him forcibly punching the doing on the head and the back area at least two or three times,” said the officer, adding that Morrison is then seen to “lift the dog in an aggressive manner”.

As the footage proceeds Morrison is recorded launching a kick at the dog, named Colt, but a fence obscures the view so police are not sure whether the kick connects.

There was a further report that afternoon, at 1.44pm, of Morrison holding the dog and that he was “pretending to throw himself out in front of moving vehicles”.

The court heard then that Morrison “has been named widely on social media and has attracted significant interest from people in the local area” and that police had received information “that would pose a threat to him should he return to his home address”.

When Morrison was arrested he was “heavily intoxicated” but when he was interviewed and shown the footage, he accepted that he was the person in the footage, that it was his dog and further that his actions “would amount to cruelty”.

In court today Morrison’s defence barrister confirmed the 34-year-old was maintaining those admissions and will be entering a guilty plea although she revealed that since he has been in custody for the last month, “he has probably lost his job”.

Commenting that it was ”fanciful” for the PPS to suggest the case could go to a higher court “given what doesn’t go to the Crown Court,” District Judge Mark Hamill said that immaterial of the venue “the court will need a report”.

He told the PPS and defence it didn’t matter whether that pre-sentence report will be for his court or a Crown Court, “tell probation this is a plea and ask to get the ball rolling.”

Remanding Morrison back into custody Judge Hamill adjourned the case to March 18.