High Court hears claims Derry man Peter Mongan filmed himself kicking pet dog
Prosecutors claimed Peter Mongan filmed himself kicking the pet and issued further threats to harm it in an attempt to manipulate the woman.
A judge was told the dog has sustained damage to its windpipe and a cruciate ligament.
The 23-year-old, of Maureen Avenue, faces charges of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, harassment, improper use of a communications network to cause anxiety and breach of a restraining order.
The court was told Mongan allegedly sent his partner numerous text messages on May 29, threatening to harm their pet if she did not stay the night at his flat.
According to the prosecution one stated: “Bobby getting beat over you.”
The woman was said to have sent a reply begging him to leave the dog alone and let her stay at home.
It was then claimed that Mongan sent two videos on Facebook messenger, showing him kicking the animal a number of times.
A Crown lawyer submitted: “You can hear him saying ‘Can you see this’?”
Police were alerted and examined the contents of the texts and video clips.
A vet who assessed the dog confirmed damage to its trachea and cruciate ligament, but could not determine exactly when the injuries were sustained.
During interviews Mongan claimed the threats were just to get his partner to reply.
“He stated that he usually disciplined the dog by slapping it on the nose, but on this occasion it had peed and pooed in his bedroom,” the prosecutor said.
Opposing bail, she claimed Mongan could be controlling towards a woman lacking “strong fortitude”.
“He uses the dog and the risk of harm to the dog in order to manipulate her,” counsel added.
Richard McConkey, defending, said that Mongan has made some admissions but could be released to live well away from his partner.
However, bail was refused due to the risk of potential re-offending by the accused.
Mr Justice Colton said: “I’m not convinced any conditions I could impose would be effective.”
