A HUDDERSFIELD man who ill-treated an injured dog has been ordered to carry out 80 hours unpaid work.

Lee Paul, 26, a building suppliers salesman, of Fannymoor Lane, Lowerhouses, was also put under 12 months supervision and ordered to pay £500 costs.

He was also banned from keeping any animals for five years and ordered to formally transfer ownership of the Staffordshire bull terrier called Menace to the RSPCA.

Paul appeared at Thames Magistrates Court, East London, for sentence after being unable to attend two weeks earlier because of Yorkshire’s flooding.

The court was told that since moving to Huddersfield after the incident, which happened while he was living in London with the dog, he had made a fresh start.

At an earlier hearing the court heard that a woman passer-by looked on horrified as the dog was twice thrown to the ground.

It was claimed that a third similar incident was only stopped when Paul realised he was being watched.

The dog already had a broken leg which had gone untreated following a similar incident earlier.

Paul was accused of causing the animal unnecessary suffering and cruelly ill-treating the dog.

Paul, who pleaded guilty to the offences, could been jailed.

Court chairman Waldermar Brown told him at an earlier hearing : “Aggravating factors in the case are that it was a young animal, clearly in pain with a broken leg.’’

Sean Hurley said in mitigation: “My client said he wants to put this behind him. He has not been in trouble with the police since moving to Yorkshire. He’s started afresh.”

Mark Jones, for the RSPCA, said a pedestrian had seen Paul twice throw the dog, with both hands, to the ground – first to the pavement then after picking him up, on to the road. The dog was yelping.

Mr Jones continued : “He was about to do it for a third time – from shoulder height about five feet up – but noticed he was being watched.”

The dog was later found to have a broken and deformed right leg.

Paul told the RSPCA he was responsible for the six-month-old dog but initially denied the allegations.

Mr Jones told the court the dog had made a full recovery and had been re-homed.