VICTORIA, British Columbia, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- A British Columbia judge handed down the province's longest-ever sentence to a man who pleaded guilty to beating a 12-week-old puppy to death in Victoria.
Judge Ernie Quantz Wednesday sentenced 24-year-old Brent Connors to 5 months in prison for the beating and an additional 30 days for possessing a controlled substance -- steroids.
Prosecutors had been seeking a 3 to 4 month sentence after Connors pleaded guilty to the Jan. 1 attack he blamed on alcohol and steroid use, but the judge imposed the province's longest animal abuse sentence to date, CTV News reported.
Connors was minding the dog named Bandit for its owner and said he became enraged the 12-week-old pit bull wasn't housebroken, the report said.
He was arrested at a motel after other guests reported hearing a dog in distress.
The dog was dead on arrival at a veterinary emergency clinic. It had numerous skull fractures, broken teeth, broken ribs, a lacerated liver and a human bite mark on its stomach, court was told.
Connors' sentence also requires he undergo drug and alcohol treatment, cannot own or live with animals for 10 years and perform 75 hours of community service, the Vancouver Sun said. He was also put on probation for 2 years, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said.
