A man who violently squeezed a dog until it defecated all over his kitchen has been banned from using alcohol for 18 months.
Aaron John Campbell (35) appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday over an incident on October 23, which his counsel Jim Takas called "drunken bluster".
Judge Jim Large said it was more serious than that, and was emblematic of the defendant’s entrenched alcohol problem.
After drinking throughout the day, Campbell began his campaign of abrasive behaviour.
First he argued with the victim about her dog, threatening to call the council because of its supposedly dangerous nature, then he started threatening the woman.
"I will make your life a living hell. You will never sleep again in that house and you don’t know what I can do," Campbell said.
The man later followed through on earlier threats, calling the council about the pet.
As things deteriorated, the victim began an audio recording of the events during which Campbell told her he would knock her teeth in.
Growing increasingly frustrated that the children at the house were not leaving, the defendant grabbed the dog, and exited the property with the parting words: "I’m leaving to drown it or snap its neck because it’s dangerous".
After the children had been removed from the property, Campbell returned, now angered they were no longer there.
A police summary of facts said he responded by squeezing the dog "tightly".
"Right here we go — watch your dog die," he said.
The woman and her friend tried to free the animal, which resulted in tug of war in the kitchen.
"As a result, the dog was frightened, and it did multiple bowel motions on the kitchen floor," the summary said.
Campbell’s hot temper was evident even after police arrived.
He told officers he was going to burn the house down.
When told he would not be returning to the address he said: "you wait and see what happens."
While the victim did not sustain physical injury, she wrote in a statement that she remained on edge for weeks after the incident because of Campbell’s unpredictability.
Mr Takas said his client had worked in the forestry sector for 20 years and would be unable to continue if he was put on home detention.
Judge Large imposed the less onerous community detention — for five months — along with 18 months’ intensive supervision, during which Campbell is barred from using alcohol.
Campbell was convicted of ill-treating an animal, doing a threatening act and threatening to kill.
"Unless you get on top of your alcohol [consumption] you’re going to be coming back to court and the sentences are going to become more and more serious," the judge said.
