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A man who kicked his daughter’s puppy to death and dumped the body in an alleyway has admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

Alan Pownall, 59, of Reay Court, Borough Road, appeared at Wirral Magistrates’ court today.

The court heard that the body of the six month old Staffordshire bull terrier, named Halo, was found lying on top of a children’s paddling pool and various rubbish in an alleyway near Pownall’s home in February this year. It had been repeatedly kicked.

Pownall then dumped Halo’s body in an alleyway - in full view of the public where it was later found by the RSPCA after they were contacted by police.

A post-mortem examination found that the animal had suffered severe damage to her liver as a result of multiple blunt forces consistent with being kicked.

(Image: RSPCA) (Image: RSPCA)

Pownall is due to be sentenced at Wirral Magistrates’ Court on Friday November 17. The maximum sentence he could receive is six months in jail.

RSPCA inspector Anthony Joynes told the ECHO: “You can only imagine the horror she was forced to live through before she died.

“She clearly trusted him and that for that she was beaten to death at the hands of a violent man.

“Pownall then dumped Halo’s body in an alleyway like she was a piece of rubbish.

(Image: RSPCA)

“He initially denied everything and said he had found Halo’s dead body one morning as a result of her strangling herself to death by her collar on a crate, but the post-mortem results told a very different story.

“He has now admitted in court that he was responsible for Halo’s death. It does not bear thinking about how horrific Halo’s last moments were. She must have been very frightened before she met her death in such a violent way.

(Image: RSPCA) (Image: RSPCA)

“It turns my stomach that animal cruelty like this still happens. Halo deserved better than this”.

Inspector Jones added that Pownall’s late guilty plea had added to the suffering and distress. “He could have pleaded guilty weeks ago - this was dragged out causing more distress to his daughter and other witnesses and cost to the public.”