Man admits feeding kittens to pitbull

A man videoed himself on his cellphone feeding five live kittens to his pitbull dog, a court was told today.

Te Ahu Aaron Mankelow, 31, pleaded guilty in Gisborne District Court to five charges of wilful cruelty to animals.

Prosecutor Vicki Thorpe told the court Mankelow was on his way to a party with his 18-month old pitbull dog Pepe when he spotted the kittens, their eyes not yet open, in a cardboard box in a parked truck.

He tipped the kittens out of the box encouraging his dog to eat them, recording the whole attack on his cellphone.

All of the kittens were killed.

Mankelow initially denied his actions, but then admitted it after being shown the video.

Judge Robert Spear remanded Mankelow remanded at large on bail for sentencing on February 19, warning him that a prison sentence could not be ruled out.

As a condition of his bail he was ordered to have no association with any animal.

As Mankelow left the court, a man in the public gallery was heard to call him a "scumbag".

- NZPA