Swansea man who hit and dropped dog imprisoned for 18 weeks

Warning: Distressing content

A Swansea man has been sentenced to 18 weeks in prison after he admitted to causing a Jack Russell Terrier to suffer after hitting and dropping him.

Cameron Lee Wilson (d.o.b 30/07/2006) of Holly Oak Road, Penllergaer, Swansea, appeared at Swansea Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 9 July after pleading guilty to one offence under the Animal Welfare Act.

The court heard that Wilson was caught on CCTV footage in the area of Pentrepoeth Road, Morriston, on 16 March of this year repeatedly hitting a dog and dropping him to the floor from chest height – causing unnecessary suffering. The dog – named Casper – was not his dog.

He was sentenced to 18 weeks of custody and was disqualified from keeping all animals for 10 years and ordered to pay £400 costs. In mitigation it was heard that he showed remorse and was willing to work with agencies.

“Pain and suffering”

In a written statement from a vet it was said that in the video – the male “picks up the Jack Russell dog from a house and walks some distance carrying it, he then lowers its back legs to the ground and attempts four blows with force to its head initially”.

The vet said: “He then releases the dog who cowers flat to the ground as he then, with wide swings of both arms alternately, strikes the dog seven times to the head area with enough force to move the whole dog across the ground from side to side.

“The male also, whilst walking, lifts the dog horizontally with his back to the ground and drops him from chest height onto a flat concrete floor, the dog lands on his belly from that height.

“In my professional opinion the dog has been struck multiple times, deliberately with force, each blow causing pain and suffering. The deliberate drop from height onto a concrete floor will also have caused pain and suffering to the dog.”

“Deliberate harm”

On 2 April 2025, investigating officer RSPCA Deputy Chief Inspector (DCI) Gemma Cooper met the tri-coloured, male Jack Russell type dog of about a year old – along with his owner.

DCI Cooper said: “He was bright and alert and had no obvious injuries and I was advised his name was Casper.”

The fffence in full reads: “That on 16th March 2025 in the vicinity of Pentrepoeth Road, Morriston, Swansea, you did cause unnecessary suffering to a certain animal namely a tricoloured Jack Russell terrier type dog known as Casper, by cruelly ill treating the dog by a combination of repeatedly hitting the dog and/or by dropping the dog to the ground from chest height and you knew or ought reasonably to have known that your acts would have the effect of causing the animal to suffer or be likely to do so, contrary to Section 4(1) of the Animal Welfare Act 2006”.

Following sentencing, DCI Cooper, said: “Thankfully when I met Casper he was uninjured and was with his owner – who was not Wilson. However, it is clear that Casper suffered through this attack and had to endure unnecessary deliberate harm. Every animal deserves to be treated with kindness and ill treating an animal is not acceptable.”