A local man has been sentenced to eight months in prison this afternoon after being found guilty of Cruelty to Animals at the Magistrates’ Court.

Dyson Lima, 27, of Prince Edwards Road, took his dead dog to the Veterinary Clinic on Rosia Road on the 27th of October 2019.

Due to the extreme state of neglect of the German Shepherd, an Animal Welfare Officer reported the matter to the Royal Gibraltar Police shortly after his arrival.

Lima was later arrested and charged for the offence of Cruelty to Animals.

Following his court case on Tuesday the 7th of April, Stipendiary Magistrate, Charles Pitto found Lima guilty and rejected his version of events that the dog had suddenly deteriorated in health over the weekend.

Expert witnesses described how the dog, who was called Rooke, was ill-treated and neglected to such an extent that it would have gone through “extreme suffering” before it died.

The court also heard that it was the worst case of neglect and cruelty that the Veterinary Clinic had seen in 32 years.

One expert witness described the dog as looking like images he had seen from Concentration Camps in the Second World War.

Mr Pitto, said: “He (Lima) watched as his dog suffered.

“He blamed others, but it was up to him to allow this to happen.

“This is one of the worst cases of this type of neglect this court has seen.”

A spokesman for the RGP, said: “This was an appalling case of mistreatment and cruelty. We will always take action against anyone who neglects an animal in their care.”