SPCA welcomes puppy basher's jail term

Far North SPCA chief inspector Greg Reid has welcomed the jail term handed down to a Kaikohe puppy basher. Photo / Supplied

The SPCA is welcoming the prison term handed down to a Kaikohe man who admitted bashing a puppy with a hammer, saying it sent a strong message about the needless beating of animals.

Hanuere Paul Witehira, 53, was sentenced in the Kaikohe District Court last Wednesday to two years and five months' jail on charges of wilfully ill-treating an animal, drink-driving and driving while disqualified.

Earlier in the month he had come home after drinking and, upset because he couldn't get what he wanted for lunch, hit his son's 5-month-old puppy eight times on the head with a hammer. The dog suffered skull fractures, brain swelling, bruised eyes and broken teeth and was bleeding from the mouth and nose. It had to be put down.

The SPCA's chief inspector for Auckland and the Far North, Greg Reid, said he was pleased the court had recognised the seriousness of the crime.

"We hope a custodial sentence sends a strong message that the needless beating of animals is completely unacceptable."

Mr Reid said the Animal Welfare Act provided for sentences of up to five years but people were rarely jailed for animal cruelty.

Meanwhile, Southland man Karl Thomas, who started an online petition calling for the maximum penalty for the puppy basher, said the sentence was not long enough to be a deterrent.

"But it is better than some of the sentences handed down in the past, which is great," he said.

As of last Friday Mr Thomas' petition on change.org had attracted 39,500 supporters.

His original intention was to ask Kaikohe's top cop to present the petition to the judge but with the sentencing coming much sooner than expected - less than three weeks after the offence - he now planned to travel to Wellington to present it to Parliament.

He would also contact his local MPs, Invercargill National MP Sarah Dowie and NZ First list MP Ria Bond, as part of his "crusade" for tougher penalties for animal cruelty.

He planned to leave the petition running for another week in a bid to reach 50,000. His original target was 15,000.

The support his petition had received showed a clear desire for stronger penalties, he said.

"This puppy's suffering and death will not be for nothing," he said.

When told about the petition, Judge Greg Davis said he could not be swayed by public opinion because he had to follow the law. Prosecutor Duncan Coleman, who brought the petition to his attention, said the right place for it was Parliament.