Dog died after being hit in head with mallet while in the care of Motueka man Lance Tengu

A man has appeared in court after hitting a dog in the head with a mallet, causing fatal injuries. Photo / 123RF

Lance Tengu was entrusted with caring for a 13-year-old dog when its owner went out for the afternoon.

But when the owner returned the dog was lying on the ground, badly injured after Tengu had bashed it with a mallet.

Despite efforts to save it, the dog had to be euthanised, after being rushed to a vet.

The summary of facts, read out in the Nelson District Court today left members of the public seated in the gallery visibly shocked.

Tengu, aged 72 and hard of hearing, admitted to wilfully ill-treating a dog by hitting it with a mallet when he appeared today.

Efforts by his lawyer Ian Miller to have the matter referred to Restorative Justice were queried by Judge Jo Rielly who asked him to read parts of the victim impact statement.

“There is no doubt it would have been devastating to find this had happened and it’s unfortunate this has occurred,” Miller said, in conceding the matter was more serious than he at first understood.

The police said Tengu was known to the victim – the dog’s owner. On Saturday, November 18 Tengu was at home in Motueka, when he was left in the sole care of the 13-year-old Huntaway-Jack Russell cross, as family members went out for the afternoon.

After they left, Tengu took a mallet and hit the dog in the head with the aim of killing it.

The dog lay injured in the backyard until the family returned, when Tengu admitted he’d tried to kill it, but had not discussed this plan with the victim or family members beforehand.

Tengu later told the police he believed the dog was “walking around in a daze and banging into things” and that he’d tried to put it out of its misery.

The dog was rushed to a nearby vet but was euthanised after the family was told it would not recover from the injuries inflicted.

Judge Rielly remanded Tengu on bail for sentencing in April with terms that included he was not to have the care of any dogs.

The court heard he had two cats after Judge Rielly sought information on animals in his care.

The case was referred to Restorative Justice to investigate this option.

Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail.