Australian Man Nathan Thompson Gets 12 Months After Beating Nine Puppies To Death With Brick

Nathan Thompson was jailed for 12 months without parole after having pleaded guilty to nine animal cruelty charges. The puppy killer from the Hunter region of New South Wales killed nine puppies with a brick.

Thompson earlier pleaded guilty to causing prolonged suffering to Lucky, a surviving puppy and resisting arrest. He is eligible for a maximum penalty of 18 months in prison.

There was huge public outrage regarding the case. So, there case was moved to Newcastle Local Court for safety reasons while the hearing had earlier been taking place in East Maitland District Court. Magistrate Robert Stone said that community had considered the murder of the puppies as "deplorable and distressing."

RSPCA NSW Chief Inspector David O'Shannessy earlier spoke outside court. He said that the sentence had sent a clear message. O'Shannessy thanked the public for assisting the authorities during the process of investigation.

"These sort of attacks of brutal, deliberate and premeditated animal cruelty will not be tolerated by the courts and also the public," Mr O'Shannessy said, "Those staff involved with the assessment of the animals and the treatment of the surviving animals, there's no doubt that has taken a toll." O'Shannessy said that the organisation was “satisfied” with the sentence.

RSPCA Hunter Veterinary Manager Simone Cooper said that the case was one of the worst she had seen in her career. She said that she was aware that a significant part of her team had a difficult time during the case even though there were supposed to be professionals. She said that it was virtually impossible to be impartial during the case.

When Thompson earlier entered the court, campaigners yelled outside the court that there was “no excuse for animal abuse.” The prosecution argued that one had “to be deaf and blind” not to see the puppies gasping for air during the attack.

Thompson's lawyer defended his client by saying that he was "not in a normal frame of mind" during the attack. The lawyer said that his client had not slept for three days and consumed ice. The magistrate, on the other hand, refused to accept the evidence.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au