A cruel pet owner has been banned from keeping animals for 20 years after punching his dog in the face and allowing it to be hit by a train. Cameron Casson allowed his dog to walk without a lead at a railway station in Lancashire and she was struck by a slow-moving train.
The puppy, named Cali, was just ten-months-old when she was wounded at Bane Lane Station near Morecambe on July 19 last year. Casson was handed an eight-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months after the court heard details of how the Staffordshire Bull Terrier was wounded.
A witness who was on the station platform reported seeing Casson punching Cali, who was later picked up by a dog warden and taken to a vet in Lancaster where she was treated for wounds on her back and tail, as well as bruising around her eye. The vet also found evidence that Cali's fur was contaminated by oil, LancsLive reports.
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The RSPCA launched an investigation and Casson, 22, of Cross Gill, Rylands, Lancaster, admitted two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to the dog and one of not ensuring the needs of Cali were met. He appeared before Blackburn Magistrates' Court for sentencing on May 24.
In a statement to the court, an eye-witness said she had restrained the dog, who was without a collar and lead, on the platform and returned her to Casson. She later spotted him shouting and swearing at the pup. She said Casson attempted to tie a jumper around the dog's neck to 'use as a lead'.
She continued: "The dog seemed reluctant to follow him, so he grabbed the dog by the skin of the neck and attempted to drag her along the station platform."
A second eyewitnesses said she saw Cali being punched to her face and head three or four times with 'hard force'. The dog was found a couple of hours later on a public footpath in Hest Bank.
In an expert report to the court, veterinary surgeon Dr Sean Taylor said the dog’s lacerations and the oil contamination were consistent with her having been hit by a slow-moving train. X-rays showed two bilateral rib fractures, which in the surgeon’s view were sustained in mid to late June 2021. The defendant had claimed he was unaware how they could have been caused, other than the dog 'falling from a rope swing'.
Dr Taylor concluded: "The rib fractures indicate Cali had sustained high force focal blunt force trauma to both sides of the chest.
"Although they did not occur on July 19 it is highly likely these injuries occurred via physical abuse when taking into account the defendant’s lack of reasonable explanation as to how these fractures could have occurred accidentally."
RSPCA Inspector Amy McIntosh said in her witness statement that Casson admitted slapping his dog for trying to get back on the train. The inspector said he told her: "You can’t do nowt for slapping a dog."
She continued: "The dog got off the train with him, then got back on and he chased the dog and it ended up on the tracks."
The court was told Casson suffered from mental health issues and lacked maturity. He was also told to pay a victim surcharge of £128. Since her ordeal, Cali is being looked after at boarding kennels. The staff there will soon be finding her loving new owners, the court was told.
