In a rather controversial and outrageous decision a Dublin man will avoid jail time after he brutally and disgracefully killed his sick dog in front of a group of young children in a public park.
The accused man named Liam Dowling aged 44 who carried out the horrifying attack on the defenseless animal will not spend a solitary day in prison for the attack which took place in a park area by Clonliffe College last year. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard this afternoon of how Mr Dowling could not afford to pay his vet bills and of how Mr Dowling decided to take matters into his own hands regarding the dog’s fate.
The court also heard testimony of how the dog was savagely beaten by Mr Dowling, the court was told that Mr dowling went to the public park with every intention of ending the terminally ill dog’s life. According to a statement which was taken by Garda Shane Mengessidis Mr Dowling apparently swung the Jack Russell dog overhead by its lead and smashed him to the ground up to 30 times as he crossed the park.
Garda Mengessidis also told the court that Mr Dowling was also seen by a number people which included innocent children putting his foot on the dog’s head while it was on the ground and pulling the lead tight so it could not breath. Mr Dowling with an address of Fitzgibbon Court, Fitzgibbon Street, pleaded guilty to all charges brought against him at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court this afternoon.
However the presiding Judge Martin Nolan decided that Mr Dowling should receive a custodial sentence due to the fact that Dowling had been on prescription medication at the time of the horrific attack. Judge Nolan told the court: “by any standard what happened to this poor dog was incredibly cruel” but i see no reason to sentence Mr Dowling to prison as he currently cares for a child and is a “contributing member of society.”
Although Judge Nolan did say he fully intends to sentence Mr Dowling to 200 hours of community service in lieu of a two year sentence if Dowling is deemed fit to carry out such a sentence. Judge Nolan also decided not to impose a ban on Dowling keeping any animals in the future, as he didn’t want to deprive the man’s child of having a future pet.
Judge Nolan has subsequently adjourned the case until October pending a community service report.