Kieran O’Connor (date of birth:- 10.12.1989), of Normandy Road, Huyton, Liverpool, left Prince:- "exposed to acute pain" by throwing him onto a concrete surface in his front garden.

CCTV footage which went viral captured O’Connor launching the elderly pet from the pavement instead of opening the gate so he could walk in.

Prince can be seen in the footage falling on his side and stumbling up as the self employed gardener lets himself into the garden through the gate.

He was taken into RSPCA care and is now safe and well with one of the charity’s fosterers.

Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates’ Court was told the RSPCA investigated the case after a worried member of the public forwarded the clip to its National Control Centre.

O’Connor admitted failing to meet Prince’s needs to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease by the:- "infliction of physical abuse and emotional distress" - in breach of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

At sentencing on:- 2 July 2025, he was also given a community order which involves 26 programme requirement days and ordered to pay costs of £500 and a victim surcharge of £114.

RSPCA Inspector Caren Goodman said in a statement to the court that she went to the defendant’s then address in:- Elstead Road, Kirkby, Merseyside, in October 2024.

Accompanied by a colleague and a Merseyside Police Officer, she got no answer by knocking the door, but could see Prince through a window, sitting on the front room sofa.

The Police Officer who was with her called the defendant’s number - which was advertised on his trailer parked outside - but he refused to attend the address.

After waiting 25 minutes, the officer gained entry to the property using a search warrant, and Prince was taken into RSPCA care.

She said Prince had:- "ideal body condition," was "bright, alert and active" and showed:- "no obvious signs of distress." When she spoke to the defendant the following day, he claimed he was:- "putting his dog over the fence" because his neighbours had accused Prince of attacking their dogs.

A vet at RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital who viewed the footage, said it began with Prince being walked on a lead towards a gate by a man.

Her report added that:- "instead of opening the gate" he was seen "picking up the dog and forcefully throwing it on the other side of the gate (concrete path, few small stairs). The dog has fallen down on its side/back" and "looks very confused on the video, it takes a few seconds for it to get up."

The vet signed a Veterinary Certificate supporting Prince's removal from the house and at the surgery, he was given pain relief.

Although a full examination revealed that he had not sustained any fractures, the vet said he had been put through unnecessary distress and suffering.

"In this case of being thrown like that there is a risk of serious physical injuries, especially to the dog's:- limbs, pelvis, spine; especially for older, more fragile dogs, this could result in serious damage like bone fractures, internal bleeding. No fractures were identified, although the dog was exposed to acute pain just after the incident, then:- 3 to 5 days of chronic muscle and joint pain (soft tissue injury)."

The report said any reasonable owner would have taken Prince to a vet to check for any injuries; the defendant had not.

“The dog is being exposed to a situation it does not want to be in. Dogs suffer mentally while being mistreated by humans, these sort of situations are very stressful for them, especially when they have no way to escape or hide. Neglect and poor training methods can result in the dog becoming fearful and even aggressive. Considering the video evidence, it is clear that (Prince) suffered an act of physical violence at least one occasion. This sort of behaviour towards the dog is unacceptable."

After the hearing, Inspector Goodman said:- "The most surprising thing about this case is that Kieran did not seem to understand that what he did was wrong. This attitude meant that he would not sign Prince over to us; even when the prosecution had run its course. We had to obtain an order from the court to make sure we could take him into our care and get him into a safe and secure environment. Every animal has the right to be treated with kindness and respect. Nobody should be cruel or neglectful towards any animal and the kind of violence we saw here is absolutely unacceptable. I would also like to thank the kind member of the public who reported this attack to us. Without their intervention and without the video evidence they allowed us to use, this prosecution would have been more difficult. It shows that people don’t accept that animals can be treated in this way and also how helpful it is when those who witness cruelty can somehow provide footage to help us rescue animals in danger."