Police are appealing for information after 11-week-old Sparky was killed.

A 23-year-old has been charged with causing unnecessary suffering to animals after a puppy was killed with a hammer in Co Armagh.

He is due to appear at Craigavon Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

A 16-year-old male has been released on bail pending further police enquiries.

It's believed the incident happened on Saturday and was shared on the social media platform Snapchat.

The remains were recovered from a bin and a post mortem is to take place to determine the cause of death.

Since reports of the incident first emerged on Monday night speculation over the incident reached fever pitch, which police have attempted to quell.

Earlier officers urged anyone who may have seen posts about the incident on Snapchat or other networks to get in touch.

Police have said Snapchat will not be releasing data relating to the barbaric killing of the 11-week-old puppy.

Officers said the social network would only share information on certain crimes and this incident did not fall into one of those categories.

"Snapchat are NOT the bad guys in this, and like us are merely bound by law," said police in an update.

They have also urged the public to stop sharing names of individuals they may think are involved as it could "prejudice the court case," urging anyone with information instead to contact police.

Named by police as Sparky, the puppy was reportedly hit with a hammer and microwaved in an attack in the Co Armagh town of Lurgan over the weekend.

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Belfast Telegraph