Pregnant woman filmed beating her own dog

BANNED from owning any animal for five years . . . Jamie-Leigh Williams

AN EIGHT-MONTH pregnant woman from Oldham caught on camera battering her dog claims she only did so because it was trying to savage her stomach.

Jamie-Leigh Williams (20) was yesterday banned from owning any animal for the next five years after pleading guilty at Tameside Magistrates' Court to causing unnecessary suffering to five-year-old Lennox by hitting and kicking him.

The RSPCA brought charges against the mum-of-one after disturbing footage of the incident at her home in Oldham last November appeared on social media.

Aggressive

It had been filmed by a man who Miss Williams had allowed to stay at her home for a few days.

The court heard how Miss Williams and her former partner had taken in the dog several months earlier after being told it would be put down if no new owner was found.

It was claimed that during this time, the dog became increasingly aggressive, and several calls were made to police, dog homes and the RSPCA to try and rehome him.

Defending, Christopher Squibbs said on the day of the incident Lennox had been "snarling at her stomach". He told the bench: "The defendant clearly lost her temper towards the dog. It wasn't her finest hour, but she is remorseful."

Mark Harper, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said the dog suffered no lasting injuries.

Magistrates also imposed a 12-month community order, £385 fine, and ordered Miss Williams to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

Speaking after the hearing she said: "I shouldn't have done what I did. I hold my hands up and admit it was wrong, but at the time I was scared, and thought I was doing what anyone else in that situation would to protect themselves and their baby.

"What you don't hear in the video clip is that before that I had been screaming for the police to be called because the dog had been trying to go for me."