Farmer avoids jail for driving car with white husky dog tied to the back

A farmer who was filmed dragging his white husky tied to the back of his car before dumping it to die has avoided jail.

Cruel Kim Norman Rendall, 65, was given a suspended sentence after he was filmed dragging Daisy for around 200 metres while tied with a rope.

Bristol Crown Court heard numerous motorists witnessed the horror and tried to stop Rendall by beeping and flashing their lights at his red Nissan Micra.

Daisy was left severely injured in the incident on the afternoon of April 17 this year and had to put to sleep after failing to recover.

But Rendall refused to get help for his poorly pooch or tell cops where he had dumped her when they turned up at his home - to find him enjoying a cup of tea and a haircut.

He was sentenced today to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, 300 hours of unpaid work alongside a 20 year disqualification from having or keeping animals with the exception of cattle and fish. He was also ordered to pay £5k costs.

As he arrived at court he was greeted by supporters of Daisy waving banners demanding 'justice' for her.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Michael Longman said the defendant had shown a "high degree of recklessness" in his actions.

He said the excuse of social awkwardness "does not begin to explain or mitigate your behaviour".

The judge told Rendall that even if he had not realised the extent of Daisy's injuries by the time he drove off he had still shown an "arrogant disdain" towards her.

He described obstructing the police who were trying to get medical help for the dog as '"truly dreadful" and added: "I don't believe that you were devastated. You showed a deliberate disregard for Daisy's welfare in failing to seek treatment."

Rendall had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to two counts of causing the unnecessary suffering of an animal contrary to the Animal Welfare Act.

A video, released by the RSPCA showed Daisy being dragged along the road in High Littleton, near Bath.

Distressed locals stopped and confronted him while Daisy bled onto the road and attempted to stand up.

Prosecutors said he drove for around 55 seconds - covering a distance of approximately 200 metres.

After stopping he took a bin from his vehicle, placed Daisy in his boot and drove away.

Police attended the Micra's registered address, his mother's home within an hour and Rendall was found there indulging in a cup of tea and having a haircut.

He refused to tell officers where Daisy was and said he would get his own veterinary care for her.

Given the urgency of the situation, he was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty.

In response, the court heard he said: "I don’t like this at all, I don’t like this at f**king all”.

He was described as rude and aggressive towards custody officers when they booked him in and his trainers were covered in blood.

In the meantime, 18 police officers and a drone unit were deployed in a bid to locate Daisy and get her the life-saving treatment they believed she needed.

Following a two and a half hour hunt in the Somerset countryside, she was eventually located in a cow barn in Gossard Lane, High Littleton.

She was rushed to Rosemary Lodge Veterinary Hospital in Bath in a police vehicle travelling on blue lights and sirens.

Vets said she sustained complicated and traumatic injuries - including both hind legs suffering full-thickness skin loss and an open fracture of a foot.

Despite the best efforts of vets to treat Daisy, her pain could not be controlled and she was put to sleep nine days later.

An earlier hearing heard how one witness "fell to the floor and went into shock" following the incident and was prescribed Diazepam by her GP due to being unable to sleep.

PC Natalie Cosgrove also described Daisy's injuries as "the worst thing I have ever seen" and it made her "feel physically sick".

"I felt shocked, I couldn’t sleep and I cried... I hugged my own dog crying in sympathy for Daisy", she told the court previously in a victim person statement.

She added that the dog's suffering was "something that cannot be described” and said she was "traumatised" when Rendall smirked in his police interview.

"I just felt incredibly sorry for her, that a human let her down so badly.

"This is one of those jobs that will haunt me forever."