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Metro
06-07-2025
- Metro
Man caught hurling his elderly dog over a fence and onto concrete path
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A man has been banned from keeping pets for five years after shocking footage showed him throw his elderly Staffordshire bull terrier over a gate. Kieran O'Connor, 35, hurled the dog onto a concrete path, before opening the gate and walking in himself. CCTV caught the self-employed gardener from Liverpool raising his hands and launching the animal into the air, leaving him 'exposed to acute pain'. The footage shows Prince falling on his side and stumbling, as O'Connor seems unbothered. A member of the public sent the clip to the RSPCA, who launched an investigation. O'Connor was taken to court, where he admitted failing to meet Prince's needs to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease by the 'infliction of physical abuse and emotional distress' in breach of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. At Liverpool & Knowsley Magistrates' Court on July 2, he was given a community order which involves 26 programme requirement days, and ordered to pay costs of £500 and a victim surcharge of £114. RSPCA Inspector Caren Goodman said in a statement that she went to the defendant's then address in Kirkby, Merseyside, in October last year. Accompanied by police, she got no answer by knocking the door, but could see Prince through a window, sitting on the front room sofa. The police officer who was with her called the defendant's number – which was advertised on his trailer parked outside – but he refused to attend the address. After waiting 25 minutes, the officer gained entry to the property using a search warrant, and Prince was taken into RSPCA care. She said Prince had 'ideal body condition', was 'bright, alert and active' and showed 'no obvious signs of distress'. When she spoke to the defendant the following day, he claimed he was 'putting his dog over the fence' because his neighbours had accused Prince of attacking their dogs. A vet at RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital who viewed the footage signed a Veterinary Certificate supporting Prince's removal from the house. Although a full examination revealed that he had not sustained any fractures, the vet said he had been put through unnecessary distress and suffering, and he was given pain relief. More Trending After the hearing, Inspector Goodman said: 'The most surprising thing about this case is that Kieran did not seem to understand that what he did was wrong. 'This attitude meant that he would not sign Prince over to us – even when the prosecution had run its course. 'We had to obtain an order from the court to make sure we could take him into our care and get him into a safe and secure environment. 'Nobody should be cruel or neglectful towards any animal and the kind of violence we saw here is absolutely unacceptable.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Ex-Asda manager jailed after smuggling 30kg of cannabis into Manchester Airport MORE: Boy, 8, found being raised by dogs and can only communicate by barking MORE: Woman charged with murder after man dies in house fire
Daily Mirror
05-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Ex-Asda manager jailed as judge warns 'you knew exactly what you were doing'
Ex-Asda manager Louisa De Marco, 53, was stopped at Manchester Airport and found with over 30kg of cannabis in her suitcases A former Asda manager was thrown into prison after she entered into a criminal scheme and was told she knew "exactly what you were involving yourself in". Louisa De Marco, 53, tried to smuggle over 30kg of cannabis into the UK through Manchester Airport but was caught. The 53-year-old said she had her flights to Thailand already paid for and was told she would get £10,000 if she was successfully able to bring the illegal drugs into the UK, Manchester Crown Court heard. De Marco was stopped by customs officials and initially denied the bags were hers, denied she packed them and claimed she believed they contained tobacco. Prosecuting, Chloe Fordham said that De Marco, a mother, was stopped by Border Force officers at Manchester Airport after arriving on May 8, on a flight from Thailand via Abu Dhabi. Her two suitcases were found to have 31.25kg of cannabis inside, according to Manchester Evening News. During an interview with police, De Marco said that on a previous trip to Thailand, she had met someone who told her she could make money by bringing cannabis into the UK. The mum said she was put in touch with other people who paid for a flight to Thailand for her and her friend. De Marco said she was also offered £10,000, which she did not ultimately receive and she also refused to tell police the PIN number for her phone. Defending, Bradley Mather said the defendant was experiencing 'financial difficulties' at the time. She had previously worked in a "management role" at Asda earning around £40,000 a year, but lost her job after the Covid pandemic, he said. The mum has since been unable to work and had been receiving benefits, due to physical and mental difficulties. Mather added there had also been an element of "intimidation" from her handlers who had arranged the smuggling bid. He told the court they threatened to cancel her flights home if she refused to comply with their smuggling demands. He appealed for De Marco to be spared jail, arguing she had strong mitigation and noting the potential impact on her adult daughter, who relies on her mother to help pay the rent at their home. Judge Recorder Sarah Griffin instead sentenced the mum to 20 months in prison and said she would serve half of the term behind bars. The judge said the case was serious and slammed De Marco saying she had flown out to Thailand with her "eyes wide open". She added: "You knew exactly what you were involving yourself in." De Marco, of Broadway, Bradford, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug.
