A man who killed a hamster by biting its head off has been jailed and banned from keeping pets.
Jamie Straugheir, 20, of Victoria Road in Darlington appeared at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, February 8. He was charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
He pleaded guilty to the charge and admitted that he had bitten the head off the domestic pet hamster on Christmas Eve 2022, knowing that it would cause the animal harm, Teesside Live reports.
Read more: County Durham teenager accused of biting head off pet hamster
Straugheir also pleaded guilty to charges of failing to surrender to police after he failed to appear in court when expected on Monday February 6.
Due to the serious nature of the offence, he has been sentenced to 26 weeks imprisonment with the court reasoning that it was "so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified." Straugheir was also disqualified from owning, keeping or participating in keeping pets for ten years, with a minimum period of five years before the order is eligible to be terminated.
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