Collie puppy that was driven over by its owner ‘found alive and seemingly well’, court hears
A collie puppy whose owner told police he left it “bloody and severely injured” at the side of the road after he ran it over has been found a court has heard.
A previous court heard how police found what they believed to be “fur and blood” on the front bumper of Sean Norris’ car, but today, defence solicitor Kevin MacAllister said the dog “has been found alive and seemingly well”.
Lodging a bring forward application at Antrim Magistrates’ Court, sitting in Ballymena, he submitted that amounted to a significant change in circumstances and justified a fresh application for bail.
Norris, 23, from Larkspur Rise in Belfast, faces three charges arising from incidents on May 19, including two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to two dogs and making a threat to kill his brother.
When Norris was first charged last week, the court heard claims the defendant had allegedly repeatedly ran over his puppy before leaving it “bloody and severely injured” at the side of the road, that he threatened to kill his brother and admitted to slapping and kicking his mother’s dog.
A police officer gave evidence that on May 19, a Sunday afternoon, police were alerted to a “concern for safety” relating to the defendant after he had a verbal argument with his family after they raised concern that he was “neglecting his collie puppy”.
The officer said that police later found his car abandoned on the hard shoulder of the M2 near Antrim Area Hospital.
Meanwhile, Norris’ family told police they had received text messages from him which “raised further concerns” in that he told them “if I can’t have her, no one can” regarding the puppy.
He also sent a text confessing that he had “beaten the f*** out of his mother’s dog,” a Bichon Frisé and also that he had “thoughts of killing” his brother.
After his arrest Norris admitted he had driven to the Glenshane Pass, put the collie puppy in the road where he drove over it, reversed and “drove over it several more times”.
Norris told police that having gotten out and checked on the puppy which was “bleeding and severely injured,” he drove off.
In court today Mr MacAllister said while a report from the vet remains outstanding, he hoped to have that in the next few days “and that will confirm whether the dog did in fact sustain any injury”.
District Judge Nigel Broderick listed the case for a bail application on Thursday.