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A cruel “urban hunter” has admitted using a pack of pet dogs to track and slaughter badgers, foxes and deer.

Patrick Carter acted with sick cronies to corner badgers in their setts and hunt down other animals before letting their trained dogs tear them apart.

The gang made horrifying videos that featured the animals squealing in agony as they fought for their lives.

Footage shows faceless individuals using spades to hit a doomed badger, as other participants in the barbaric “sport” urge them to allow the dogs to finish it off.

Carter, who pled guilty at Greenock Sheriff Court yesterday to keeping and training dogs for fighting, refused to seek vet treatment for his injured pets despite them suffering serious injuries in battles with badgers.

One dog, a lurcher named Murphy, suffered injuries to his lower jaw – a classic sign of badger baiting – but instead of getting help, Carter took a photo and proudly captioned it: “Big chap nearly lost his jaw.”

(Image: Daily Record)

Carter was found in possession of videos on his personal devices showing his dogs fighting with foxes and dragging badgers from their setts. In one film, a person pinned a badger in place while the dogs attacked. Messages were also recovered of conversations between Carter and his associates discussing the hunts.

The 19-year-old sicko came to the attention of the Scottish SPCA’s undercover special investigations unit (SIU) after a tip-off from people in Greenock.

After a raid on his home, they took away items associated with animal fighting, like a hunting lamp, clothing and used animal nets for trapping prey.

(Image: DAILY RECORD)

The dogs, who were otherwise well cared for, were a black Patterdale named Laddie, a tan short-haired lurcher named Max and lurcher Murphy.

All three were signed in to the care of the Scottish SPCA and have since been successfully rehomed.

An SIU inspector said: “Badger baiting and animal fighting are far more common than people would think and anyone engaging in

this barbaric activity is inflicting unimaginable pain on the animals involved.

(Image: Daily Record)

“The footage and pictures we uncovered are gut-wrenching. The animals he set his dogs on would have endured terrible suffering before they were killed.

“While his dogs appeared to be in good general health when we searched his property, Laddie had severe facial injuries consistent with animal fighting and Max had scarring to the jaw area and his leg.

“On further examination, Laddie and Max were found to have scarring and deformities within the mouth and nose consistent with previous severe traumatic injuries.

(Image: SSPCA)

“Multiple videos of animal fighting were found on Carter’s personal devices, featuring two lurchers matching Max and Murphy’s description. All of the videos were incredibly disturbing to view and the animals involved were clearly in great distress and suffered the most horrific end to their lives.

“Over the animals’ screams, voices can be heard in the footage goading and encouraging the dogs to tear the animals apart.”

In one video, two of Carter’s dogs are seen tearing a fox apart as it screams in agony. One dog has the fox’s lower jaw in its own mouth as it violently shakes the animal.

(Image: Daily Record)

Another film shows dogs dragging a badger from the entrance to a sett, a likely scenario for the dog’s own facial injuries. When the baiters pull the badger out, the dogs kill it.

A third video shows three dogs at a sett and a shovel is used to hit the animal.

In the background, excited shouts are made by the hunters who are filming the action.

A fourth video shows lurcher Max’s wounds. When Carter was quizzed, he told investigators that Laddie, the young Patterdale, had inflicted them.

Two more videos feature a fox being torn apart by Carter’s dogs and those belonging to accomplices.

(Image: Daily Record)

After he was charged with the offences, Carter refused to sign over his dogs to the care of the Scottish SPCA but he eventually relented after accepting the court would be likely to order that they are taken from him.

He now faces a possible jail term and being banned from keeping animals for up to 20 years. He will be sentenced on September 11.

Carter is a known associate of Sean Ward, 27, who was jailed for seven months last year and banned from keeping animals for 20 years after his activities were discovered by the Scottish SPCA.

The pair had the same disturbing videos on their phones.

Evidence against him included film of the hunting and killing of a deer by dogs.