Puppy beaten so badly it had to be put down

After one attack Major was left blind and struggled to navigate, the RSPCA said

A man who repeatedly attacked his puppy until it had to be put down, then left an RSPCA inspector with life-changing injuries, has been jailed.

Storm Williams from Sutton Coldfield blinded the puppy with his attacks, as well as leaving him with broken bones, bruising, and swelling all over his head and body.

The bulldog, called Major, was just 10 months old when he had to be euthanised.

Williams, 22, was jailed for 18 months and banned from owning animals for 15 years, having previously been jailed for nine years for assaulting the RSPCA inspector.

Williams was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday after admitting causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.

The court heard he was investigated and prosecuted by the RSPCA after it was contacted by the PDSA after Williams, who had owned Major for just four months, repeatedly presented him at a veterinary clinic with concerning injuries.

He was first taken to the PDSA in August 2022, with wounds to his head and front leg.

He was also unable to stand, and his neck, head, eyes and ears were swollen.

Storm Williams was already jailed for nine years for assaulting the RSPCA inspector looking into Major's case

He was treated before returning home with Williams, but just weeks later was back at the clinic lethargic and vomiting - Williams claimed he had been injured by falling boxes at home.

During this visit, vets discovered Major had been left blind by his injuries as he struggled to navigate his environment.

Williams then contacted the PDSA for the third time, claiming Major had been attacked by another dog.

On this third occasion the PDSA contacted the RSPCA.

The RSPCA said Williams claimed that Major had been injured by falling boxes

On examination, Major was comatose with a floppy head, and what looked like a burn. He also had blood pooling in his ear and swelling to his throat.

X-rays revealed fractures to both his cheeks, but showed that the fractures were not recent injuries and had been caused on a different occasion between 20 and 30 days earlier.

Major’s health deteriorated and he was unable to recover. The PDSA said it had no option but to euthanise him.

'Horrendous pain'

In July 2023 Williams was jailed for nine years for assaulting the RSPCA Inspector investigating cruelty towards Major, and the latest sentence will run concurrently.

After the attack outside Birmingham Crown Court the inspector was left unconscious and suffered fractures to the jaw, nose, eye socket, as well as fractured teeth and extensive blood loss.

The RSPCA said that during sentencing Judge Peter Cooke had told Williams pets looked to their owners for love and care, but in this case Major was "treated abominably".

A spokesperson for the charity described this as a "particularly distressing case", adding that Major had suffered "repeated horrendous pain and suffering during his short life and not the love and protection he deserved".

They added that the RSPCA's "dedicated staff should never be subjected to abuse and violence while working hard to improve the lives of animals".