Man hit dog with hammer and stabbed her in chest before dumping body in ditch

A man who hit his dog with a hammer and stabbed her, causing her to bleed to death, has been given a lifetime ban from owning animals.

Glen Tweedie was sentenced at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, where he was also given a 12-month restriction of liberty and an 18-month supervision order for what the Scottish SCPA described as one of their most “stomach-turning” cases.

Tweedie was visited by an SSPCA inspector in September last year following concerns for a dog heard “screaming” at a property in Loanhead, Edinburgh.

Tweedie told the inspector that he had a black Labrador named Caillie, but that she had been euthanised days prior due to reproductive pains.

After telling the dog owner that his account would need to be verified by the vets, Tweedie admitted that he had killed Caillie due to her being in pain, and because he couldn’t afford the vet bill.

He stated that Caillie had been in pain outside and was unable to get up, so he had clubbed her twice over the head with a hammer, leaving her conscious but in immense pain, before stabbing her with a knife.

It was found that, instead of hitting her heart as intended, Tweedie punctured her lung, which caused blood to pool, effectively drowning her in her own blood.

He then told the inspector he put her body into a black bag and took her to a nearby wooded area where he buried her in a shallow grave.

Following this, the inspector called for further assistance and obtained permission for the landowner to search for Caillie’s remains. She was located at the bottom of a large ditch covered in branches.

During the post-mortem, it was concluded that Caillie’s suffering began at the hands of Tweedie when he struck the first blow.

The pathologist also confirmed Caillie had no signs of reproductive pain, contradicting Tweedie’s earlier statement.

Tweedie’s other black Labrador, named Jura, was seized and taken into the care of the Scottish SPCA.

The charity’s inspector said: “In my three years working as an inspector for the Scottish SPCA, this is the most upsetting case I’ve seen by an enormous margin and the most eye-wateringly violent conduct towards a completely innocent pet.

“Tweedie wrongly claimed Caillie was in immense pain, but in fact it was he who caused his animal to suffer in the most unimaginable way – both physically and mentally.

“To then dump Caillie in a ditch shows Tweedie’s complete lack of remorse and how little regard he has for animals.”