A man has been convicted of animal cruelty after his dog attacked a neighbour’s cat, which had to be destroyed due to its horrific injuries.

Following a trial at Bradford Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Ryan Lambert, 23, of Mount Avenue, Eccleshill, was fined £100 and ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge and £250 towards the £2,129 it cost Bradford Council to bring the case.

Lambert’s solicitor immediately lodged an appeal against the conviction and fine.

It was the second time Lambert was convicted over the incident, which happened in September last year.

In March he was found guilty in his absence but when he appeared for sentencing in April, magistrates were told the case should not have been heard without him being in court because the offence was one which could potentially carry a jail sentence. The conviction was quashed.

Yesterday Lambert told the court he had done everything possible to stop his lurcher attacking the cat.

He said he had been bathing his dog’s feet in his secure garden when the cat jumped over the wall. He said he had a split second to respond after the dog went for it but the dog, trained to catch rabbits for a farmer, had already grabbed it in its mouth.

He pulled it out of its grip and opened the garden gate to try to let the cat escape but the dog got out too, chasing the cat and grabbing it in the alleyway.

Prosecution witness Christopher Cleary told the court he saw the dog run past his window then heard it attack his neighbour’s cat. He heard screeching and followed the dog but was overtaken by Lambert in the alleyway, he said, who ran past him, got hold of his animal, took the cat out of its mouth and dragged the dog back to his house.

Lambert, who at that time also kept a Staffordshire bull terrier in cages at his home, later returned to take the cat, wrapped in a towel back, to owner Anita Grey, who had been told by Mr Cleary about the attack.

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