Animal cruelty: Londonderry man gets jail term for 'extreme' suffering

The dog, which was called Luna, was put down by a vet after being found partially buried in a country park

A man has been jailed for nine months for causing unnecessary suffering to a dog that was found partially buried.

Peter Toland, 29, of Cornshell Fields in Londonderry, was found guilty of animal cruelty in October.

It followed the discovery of the dog, called Luna, which was found alive by a member of the public at Ballyarnett Country Park in Derry on 15 March 2023.

A vet had told a previous court the dog suffered "multiple injuries", including broken teeth and broken bones.

The American bull terrier was humanely put down due to the extent of her injuries and a post-mortem examination found the dog was severely underweight, weighing only 19kg.

District Judge Ted Magill said the treatment of Luna was "extreme" and she had suffered months of abuse and neglect.

Toland was also convicted of failing to take reasonable steps to ensure animal welfare was met on the same date in relation to three other animals.

He has also been banned from keeping animals for life.

After jailing Toland for nine months, the judge granted a defence application for leave to appeal the sentence and released the defendant on continuing bail.

Peter Toland pictured arriving at Londonderry Magistrates' Court on Thursday

Passing sentence on Thursday, the judge said the offences were "utterly despicable".

Judge Ted Magill said basic humanity dictated that a duty of care was owed to animals and Toland had "failed to carry out the most basic care".

'That poor dog went through hell'

PSNI Insp Ryan Robb said the animals suffered an "appalling and despicable" level of neglect.

"No animal deserves to be treated in this way, and it is only right that anyone who behaves in this appalling way and commits these type of offences is held accountable and brought before the court," he added.

Some animal rights activists were in attendance outside Bishop Street Courthouse ahead of Toland's sentencing.

Jessica June, who is with the Justice for Animals group told BBC News NI she was appalled by the actions of Peter Toland.

Jessica June said Toland's actions had caused a lot of hurt

"We're all dog lovers here and everyone is really hurt by it," she said.

"That poor dog (Luna) just went through hell with him and I just wish there would have been someone there to save her."