A man from South Yorkshire was caught punching and kicking a dog

An animal welfare charity has released shocking footage showing the moment a man was caught on camera punching and kicking his dog – because it “went to the toilet” in his flat. Adam Wardle, 23, was caught on CCTV attacking a three-year-old Cross Mastiff called Bobby with a mop outside a junk shop earlier this year.

In the two-minute video released by the RSPCA, Wardle, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, can be seen punching Bobby as he pulls him off the ground on a leash, drags the dog towards a bin and stops as a passer-by walks past. However, after the man leaves, Wardle continues to kick and beat Bobby with a mop, bruising his face, elbows and ankles. His left eye is also cut.

Wardle later pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a dog under the Protection of Animals Act 2006 and appeared for sentencing at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court on October 11. In a witness statement, RSPCA inspector Vanessa Reid, who accompanied the police officer after the attack, said postal service workers reported seeing a dog being beaten near the property on April 25 this year and they saw a man walking away.

After discovering that the incident matched a report to South Yorkshire Police’s charity, the inspector went to the housing estate where a housing officer reviewed CCTV footage located opposite Wardle’s flat.

Inspector Reid then accompanied the police officer to Wardle’s house, where he confessed to the attack and, when asked why he did it, said: “He (Bobby) was ‘cleaning up’ inside and I got angry. Then he did it again, and I was doubly mad, and that’s what you saw.”

Bobby was later picked up from the defendant’s friend’s property, where Wardle claimed he had taken the dog “for his own safety.” The inspector took him to the vet, where he was examined and prescribed painkillers.

In mitigation, the court was told that the defendant was not on medication and had taken it on the dog because he was “in a dark place”. Wardle was said to be “deeply ashamed” of his actions and quickly signed the dog over to the RSPCA.

Magistrates described Wardle’s sustained attack on the animal as a “horrendous” offense and sentenced him to a 12-month community order with a requirement to carry out 20 days of rehabilitation and 240 hours of unpaid work.

The defendant, who no longer lives at the address where the attack took place, was also ordered to pay £400 in costs and £95 in victim compensation. Bobby is still in the care of the RSPCA and will be re-homed.