A father-of-five from Telford was today found guilty of cruelty after fracturing his pet rottweiler’s skull with a golf club.
Nigel Williams, of Blakemore, Brookside, had denied cruelty and ill-treatment of seven-year-old Rocky, one of his two rottweilers, on April 18, last year, saying he did it to protect his baby son
Mr Roger Price, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, showed Telford Magistrates’ Court photographs of the dog’s injuries.
The RSPCA had been called after Williams’s wife realised Rocky was injured.
William Walker, the vet who examined Rocky, said the dog was hit “incredibly hard”.
He said: “I cannot think of any circumstances to explain these injuries. The dog must have been hit incredibly hard.”
Williams, 40, claimed Rocky and his other dog, two-year-old rottweiler Gnasher, had been aggressive towards his then 17-month-old son Perry in the garden of their former home in Willowfield, Woodside.
Williams said he had owned Rocky since he was six weeks old and had never had any problems with him in the past.
He said he had taken Perry outside to play with some toy cars when the boy became aware of the dogs at the other end of the garden.
Williams called the dogs over as Perry wanted to play with them, but Williams said Gnasher started “growling at my baby and baring his teeth”.
“I even had to wipe saliva from my baby’s face,” he told the court.
“I screamed for my wife and handed the baby to her. I just grabbed the nearest thing to hand.”
Williams said he hit a garden table with the golf club, hoping to scare the dogs into calming down.
He said he hit out when that did not work and caught Rocky on the nose.
Both dogs were seized by RSPCA officers and Rocky has since made a full recovery.
Williams was interviewed the day after the incident by RSPCA inspector Nayman Dunderdale who told the court that Williams had said he was “gutted” by what had happened and had referred to the dogs as “his boys”.
Mrs Lynda Baker-Oliver, presiding magistrate, warned Williams he could face jail.
She said that aggravating and mitigating factors would be taken into account and the sentence could include Williams being banned from keeping pets.
Williams frequently broke into tears while evidence was given during today’s court hearing.
The magistrates were told by Mr Price that Rocky was now fit and well and “in a good place” after being checked out by RSPCA doctors, while Gnasher was being cared for at a new home in Coventry. Sentencing was adjourned until next month.
By Andy Walker
Share this article:
What are these?