NI paper review: Horrific dog cruelty and UFO drug fears
- Published
The front pages of the papers make rather grim reading on Wednesday, with a drug death, animal cruelty and sectarian discrimination in the news.
"Man cooks his dog with oxo and onions" is the stomach-churning lead in the Daily Mirror.
Dominic O'Connor, 28, from Kircubbin, strangled a collie dog he bought through social media, then cooked it in a stew and fed it to his own dog.
O'Connor was remanded into custody and will be sentenced next month.
Dominic O'Connor strangled and cooked a collie dog
A spokesman for Northern Ireland Says No To Cruelty To Animals said it was "among the worst cases we have heard of".
The Belfast Telegraph says that police are looking for a "lethal batch of drugs" after the death of a County Down teenager on Tuesday morning.
The 18-year-old, named locally as Jonathan Ramsay from Saintfield died in the Ulster Hospital.
The paper says the pills being sought are called UFOs.
UFO tablets, which are similar to ecstasy, but stronger, "are named after their spaceship shape and florescent colour", it says.
"They can have a delayed effect, leading users to take more and overdose."
Sectarian harrassment
The Irish News leads with the case of a Catholic woman who suffered sectarian discrimination while working at an east Belfast bathroom and plumbing firm.
Helen Scott was awarded £20,000 by an employment tribunal
An employment tribunal heard how a work colleague shouted "Tiochfaidh ár lá" - a well-known republican phrase - at 52-year-old Helen Scott.
She was the only Catholic employee at Stevenson and Reid's east Belfast showroom.
The Belfast woman was awarded £20,000 compensation after it was found she was discriminated against, harassed and victimised on the grounds of her religious belief or political opinion.
Rev Norman Hamilton has expressed fears about the impact of minibus restrictions
The story is also covered in the News Letter and Belfast Telegraph.
The front page of the News Letter reports on further concern about the impact of new restrictions on who can drive a minibus.
The Presbyterian Church is the latest group to express fears about the impact on community transport services of the potential changes.
Castlebrook Development's plan covers the northern part of Belfast city centre
Former moderator Rev Norman Hamilton tells the paper "a way forward must be found that avoids a detrimental impact on vital services and community life".
Inside the paper the firm behind a revised plan to redevelop the northern quarter of Belfast city centre says it will have more regard for heritage buildings while still creating opportunities for thousands of new jobs.
Castlebrook Development's plan includes retail and office buildings, city centre living and tourist opportunities.
It says it will support 6,000 new jobs and 900 construction jobs.
Queen Boudica
County Down actress Aislinn Sands is set for a regal role in a new Channel 5 drama about Rome, the Belfast Telegraph reports.
Aislinn Sands will take on the role of Queen Boudica
The Newry woman will feature as Celtic Queen Boudica in Eight Days that Made Rome.
"I was aware of Boudica before my involvement and familiar with her reputation as a redoubtable Celtic warrior," she says.
Meanwhile, The Irish News reports on fears that Guinness may have to be made without Irish malting barley unless prices increase.
About 70 farmers protested outside a malting company's premises in County Kildare on Tuesday.
The Irish News says there are fears Guinness will have to be made without Irish barley
They say that unless they can be paid 200 euros per tonne for their barley crop, they will go out of business.
Happiest daddy
Finally, on a dark day in terms of news, the Belfast Telegraph has the uplifting story of Londonderry man Billy McMenamin.
Billy, who now lives on Australia's Gold Coast, almost died after breaking his neck in a surfing accident six weeks ago but is now the "happiest daddy in the world" after the birth of his daughter Kiva.
The 39-year-old was told he was lucky he wasn't killed died or left paralysed and still faces a long recovery.
But that hasn't stopped him from holding his new bundle of joy.
"I'm not even meant to be lifting my daughter's weight at 7lb, but try and tell that to the happiest daddy in the world," he says.