Ayrshire man jailed after 'horrific and cruel' attacks on dog
An Ayrshire man who battered his dog with an iron, a bottle and his fists in separate attacks has been jailed for nine months and banned from owning animals for life.
Daniel Murphy, 43, from Prestwick, pled guilty to a charge under animal health and welfare legislation following his "horrific and cruel" treatment of Buster, a one-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
During one incident, Murphy left Buster yelping and trembling in fear as he inflicted 70 blows on the pup in three hours.
In another attack, video footage showed him picking up the male dog, named Buster, by his legs and tail and throwing and dragging him across a room.
On two occasions, he was seen pouring a liquid over the dog's head and face.
Murphy's treatment of Buster came to light in November 2024 after a housing support officer with South Ayrshire Council was alerted to multiple videos showing a male – later identified as Murphy – abusing his dog.
It came after the Scottish SPCA separately received calls on their Helpline about a dog being abused at Murphy's address.
The video footage, provided to the Scottish SPCA anonymously by another individual, showed him attacking the dog with his fists and other objects as well as shouting, swearing and throwing the animal around the room.
Twenty-six videos were later viewed by officers at the Scottish SPCA.
Prosecutors told the court the dog was visibly terrified throughout the full ordeal.
It frequently rolled on to its side in submission in an attempt to avoid more blows and was seen panting and trembling.
Scottish SPCA staff along with two police officers eventually seized the dog from the premises of a man who said he was looking after it while Murphy was in London.
On his return, Murphy was informed he would face legal action.
A vet who examined the dog identified ongoing swelling over the left side of his skull, pain at his left shoulder and left thigh and lameness on his left hind leg.
Buster was successfully rehomed within a week of being seized.
Murphy was sentenced to nine months in jail and banned for owning animals for life at Ayr Sheriff Court following a successful prosecution by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).
Anne Marie Hicks, Procurator Fiscal for North Strathclyde, said: 'Daniel Murphy carried out attacks on his dog which were horrific and cruel.
'This poor animal endured a shocking ordeal and was subjected to terrible mental and physical abuse.
'The images on video were extremely distressing but Daniel Murphy has now been brought to account for his crimes.
'We take such criminality seriously and the public can be assured that we will prosecute such matters where there is a sufficiency of evidence to do so.'
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In one incident, Daniel Murphy of Prestwick inflicted 70 blows on Staffordshire Bull Terrier Buster in a three-hour attack An Ayrshire man who battered his dog with an iron, a bottle and his fists in separate attacks has been jailed for nine months and banned from owning animals for life. Daniel Murphy, 43, from Prestwick, pled guilty to a charge under animal health and welfare legislation following his "horrific and cruel" treatment of Buster, a one-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier. During one incident, Murphy left Buster yelping and trembling in fear as he inflicted 70 blows on the pup in three hours. In another attack, video footage showed him picking up the male dog, named Buster, by his legs and tail and throwing and dragging him across a room. On two occasions, he was seen pouring a liquid over the dog's head and face. Murphy's treatment of Buster came to light in November 2024 after a housing support officer with South Ayrshire Council was alerted to multiple videos showing a male – later identified as Murphy – abusing his dog. It came after the Scottish SPCA separately received calls on their Helpline about a dog being abused at Murphy's address. The video footage, provided to the Scottish SPCA anonymously by another individual, showed him attacking the dog with his fists and other objects as well as shouting, swearing and throwing the animal around the room. Twenty-six videos were later viewed by officers at the Scottish SPCA. Prosecutors told the court the dog was visibly terrified throughout the full ordeal. It frequently rolled on to its side in submission in an attempt to avoid more blows and was seen panting and trembling. Scottish SPCA staff along with two police officers eventually seized the dog from the premises of a man who said he was looking after it while Murphy was in London. On his return, Murphy was informed he would face legal action. A vet who examined the dog identified ongoing swelling over the left side of his skull, pain at his left shoulder and left thigh and lameness on his left hind leg. Buster was successfully rehomed within a week of being seized. Murphy was sentenced to nine months in jail and banned for owning animals for life at Ayr Sheriff Court following a successful prosecution by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). Anne Marie Hicks, Procurator Fiscal for North Strathclyde, said: 'Daniel Murphy carried out attacks on his dog which were horrific and cruel. 'This poor animal endured a shocking ordeal and was subjected to terrible mental and physical abuse. 'The images on video were extremely distressing but Daniel Murphy has now been brought to account for his crimes. 'We take such criminality seriously and the public can be assured that we will prosecute such matters where there is a sufficiency of evidence to do so.'
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The 43-year-old also attacked his dog with an iron and a bottle Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A man who attacked his dog with an iron and a bottle, and struck it 70 times during a three hour beating, is facing nine months in prison and is banned from owning animals for life. Daniel Murphy, 43, of Prestwick, Ayrshire, was sentenced on Friday at Ayr Sheriff Court after several videos surfaced which showed him abusing his one-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Buster. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In one incident, Buster was left trembling in fear after Murphy inflicted 70 blows in just three hours. In another attack, the footage showed Murphy picking him up by his legs and tail and throwing him across a room. He was also seen pouring a liquid over the Buster's head and face on two occasions. A housing support officer with South Ayrshire Council was alerted to multiple videos showing Murphy abusing his dog In November 2024. The Scottish SPCA had separately received calls on their Helpline about a dog being abused at Murphy's address. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The video footage, provided to the Scottish SPCA anonymously by another individual, showed him attacking the dog with his fists and other objects as well as shouting, swearing and throwing him around the room. Twenty-six videos were later viewed by officers at the Scottish SPCA. Prosecutors told the court the dog was visibly terrified throughout the full ordeal. It frequently rolled on to its side in submission and was seen panting and trembling. A vet who examined the dog identified ongoing swelling over the left side of his skull, pain at his left shoulder and left thigh and lameness on his left hind leg. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad PA Scottish SPCA staff along with two police officers eventually seized the dog from the premises of a man who said he was looking after it while Murphy was in London. Murphy was later informed he would face legal action. At Ayr Sheriff Court on July 9, Murphy pleaded guilty to a charge under animal health and welfare legislation. On Friday, he was sentenced to nine months imprisonment and banned from owning or keeping animals for life. 'Horrific and cruel' Anne Marie Hicks, Procurator Fiscal for North Strathclyde, said: 'Daniel Murphy carried out attacks on his dog which were horrific and cruel. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'This poor animal endured a shocking ordeal and was subjected to terrible mental and physical abuse. 'The images on video were extremely distressing, but Daniel Murphy has now been brought to account for his crimes.
