Man sentenced after punching dog and allowing it to be hit by train at Morecambe

Cameron Casson was also handed an eight-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months after a court heard how his 10-month-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier was wounded in the incident at Bare Lane Station on July 19 last year (2021).

The dog, called Cali, was also found to have suffered broken ribs during the previous month, for which her owner had not sought veterinary care.

On the platform of the rail station, an eye witness reported seeing the defendant punching his pet.

She was later picked up by a dog warden and taken to a vets in Lancaster, where she received treatment for wounds to her back and tail and bruising around her eye.

There was evidence her fur was contaminated by oil.

The RSPCA launched an investigation and Casson, 22, of Cross Gill, Ryelands, Lancaster, admitted two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to the dog and one of not ensuring the needs of the animal were met and appeared before Blackburn Magistrates’ Court for sentencing on May 24.

In a statement to the court, an eye-witness said she had restrained the dog, who was without a collar and lead, on the platform and returned her to the owner. But she later spotted him shouting and swearing at his pet.

She said Casson had attempted to tie a jumper around the dog’s neck to “use as a lead”.

“The dog seemed reluctant to follow him, so he grabbed the dog by the skin of the neck and attempted to drag her along the station platform,” she said.

Another eyewitness said she saw the dog being punched to her face and head three or four times with “hard force”.

Cali was found a couple of hours later on a public footpath in Hest Bank.

In his expert report, veterinary surgeon Dr Sean Taylor said the dog’s lacerations and the oil contamination were consistent with her having been hit by a slow-moving train.

X-rays showed two bilateral rib fractures, which in the surgeon’s view were sustained in mid to late June 2021.

Dr Taylor concluded: “The rib fractures indicate Cali had sustained high force focal blunt force trauma to both sides of the chest.

“Although they did not occur on July 19 it is highly likely these injuries occurred via physical abuse when taking into account the defendant’s lack of reasonable explanation as to how these fractures could have occurred accidentally.”

RSPCA Inspector Amy McIntosh said in her witness statement that Casson admitted slapping his dog for trying to get back on the train.

The inspector said he’d told her: “You can’t do nowt for slapping a dog.”

She said: “The dog got off the train with him, then got back on and he chased the dog and it ended up on the tracks.”

In mitigation, the court was told Casson suffered from mental health issues and lacked maturity.

He was also told to pay a victim surcharge of £128.

Since her ordeal Cali has come on leaps and bounds in the care of boarding kennels whose staff will soon be finding her loving new owners.