Man jailed for killing partner's dog with axe

A man who bludgeoned his partner's dog to death with an axe at the peak of a two-day rage has been jailed.

Judge Chris Somerville said Peter James Green's "calculated" act of rage was one of the most serious cases he had seen before sentencing him to 15 months in prison.

"When all the incidents are added together, it shows at that time you were an extremely dangerous person. You were consumed by anger and rage," he said at Ashburton District Court yesterday.

The court was told Green, 35, of Ashburton, had flown into a rage when his partner did not pick him up from a local hotel where he had been drinking.

He went to their house, smashed five windows with his bare hands and damaged an internal wall.

He returned 24 hours later, when his partner was not home, found an axe in the shed and used it to kill her cocker spaniel dog.

He was later found, still holding the axe, by police in a nearby park.

The judge said Green tried to kill himself soon after the events of July 23 and 24.

"You tried to hang yourself. I imagine that's because you realised how serious the situation had got and how out-of-control you had been in the previous 24 hours," he said.

Green had worked himself into "a frenzy over which you had no control".

He said that Green's partner had been in grave danger throughout his attack on the house and dog.

"You went round to her house at night-time and you killed her five-year-old cocker spaniel dog, that was a household pet, with an axe. You went into the park and waited for her to come home, still with the axe," Judge Somerville said.

The offences were a "prelude to manslaughter and murder".

Judge Somerville noted that it was not until the last minute that Green had confessed. The excuses offered were "feeble".

He sentenced Green to a total of 15 months jail and ordered to pay $150 reparation after pleading guilty to wilful ill-treatment of an animal, possession of an offensive weapon, wilful damage and breach of a protection order.

He was denied leave to seek home detention.

Green's lawyer, Tim Fournier, said Green had not been able to provide an explanation for attacking the dog.

"The dog's death, while regrettable, was dealt by one blow only, so there was no suffering or prolonged attack," Mr Fournier said.

Royal New Zealand Society for the Protection of Animals chief executive Robyn McDonald said the organisation applauded the sentence, which was in line with other animal abuse cases.

It sent a signal to the community that this sort of abuse would not be tolerated.

- nzpa