This is the horrendous moment two callous men are caught on camera allowing their pet Lurcher dogs to chase rabbits until they catch them between their teeth.

Liam Smith, 20 and Tyler Earwaker, 19, caught six rabbits for their dogs to chase and brutally kill.

They used carrots and hunting nets to lure rabbits in from fields in the Eastbourne area of East Sussex from last October to April.

In one clip, the sound of children playing can be heard, after a rabbit was dropped in front of two dogs.

The shocking footage shows the men bringing the rabbits to a field which backs onto a children's playground (left) before dropping them in front of the dogs (right)

Images shows the men releasing the dogs off their leads only giving the rabbits seconds to get away

Another clip shows the pair in a basketball court, allowing the dogs to chase the rabbit, with the helpless animal trying to find an escape.

The pair admitted eight counts of causing 'unnecessary suffering' to a protected animal after a RSPCA tip-off.

Hastings Magistrates' Court heard how the pair would create large traps for the rabbits and that they had been catching them and 'dropping them' in front of the dogs.

RSPCA Special Operations Unit Inspector Carroll Lamport launched an investigation in May and a police warrant was executed by police at a property in Eastbourne.

In one video, the rabbit is put into a basketball court and is chased by one dog. The petrified animal looks for an escape

A spokesman for the animal charity said: 'RSPCA officers joined police and a number of mobile phones were seized.

'Five dogs were found at the premises - belonging to Earwaker's family - and all appeared in good condition. A number of hutches and cages were located in the garden, some with ferrets inside.'

This is while Inspector Lamport said hunting nets had been found, as well as a number of animal carriers in a shed at the property.

She added: 'Earwaker told me he used the large trap for rabbits, using carrots as bait.

Other images show the dogs chasing the rabbits which were lured in by the callous pair

'Some of his coats were bloodstained and a number of phones and an iPad were seized.'

Four dogs - two lurchers and two terriers - were seized by police and Earwaker was interviewed.

Inspector Lamport later received a call from Smith's father claiming one of the dogs seized belonged to him.

She said: 'Mr Smith told me he'd bought the terrier for his son.

'We discovered that his son, Liam Smith, had been going out with Earwaker rabbiting and ferreting, and they were catching rabbits and 'dropping' them in front of their dogs for the dogs to chase in order to train the dogs - they thought the latter was legal.

'When we checked the phones we found lots of videos of Earwaker and Smith releasing captured wild rabbits and setting their dogs on them.

'Some of the videos show the chase taking place across fields while others take place in fenced areas such as a basketball court and a children's playground meaning the rabbits had no real chance of escape.

'It's really upsetting to watch the footage and the rabbits must have been extremely distressed before being released. The chase would have been terrifying for them and the manner in which they were killed would have resulted in unnecessary suffering.'

Earwalker, of Eastbourne, and Smith, of Polegate, East Sussex, were banned from keeping rabbits for five years and ordered to pay pay £300 costs and £85 victim surcharge.

Earwalker was given a 12-month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work and ordered to after admitting eight counts of animal cruelty.

Smith, who admitted two joint counts with him at Hastings Magistrates' Court, was given a 12-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work.

The court determined that the four dogs should be returned to their owners.