The officers were appearing on the second day of the trial of four members of the Essex police dog unit charged with cruelty.

Inspector Graham Curtis, 43, who headed the Essex police dog section, Sergeant Andrew White, 37, who was in charge of instructors at the section, and PCs Kenneth Boorman, 45 and Graham Hopkins, 42, who were instructors at the unit, plead not guilty and deny mistreating police dogs.

The handling was described as a "last resort"

PCs James English, Martin Spensley and Paul Chesney have each told Chelmsford Magistrates Court how they were ordered to deal with their dogs after they misbehaved during training sessions with the police dog section.

One of the officers, PC Chesney, said: "I didn't want to do it, it wasn't right, it was basically sickening."

His dog Ricky was caught by its tooth on a chain link fence after fighting to get off while suspended there.

Another of the officers, PC English, told how he was instructed to hang his dog over a wooden wall by its lead then kick the animal as it hung off the ground.

He said he was given the order by PC Hopkins during a course at the Essex police dog training unit in Sandon, near Chelmsford.

'Calm dog's aggression'

PC English told the court he was unable to carry out the order and only pretended to kick his German Shepherd, Taz, in the stomach.

He said PC Hopkins had instructed him to hang and kick Taz, which weighed 43kgs, to calm its aggression.

"I was instructed to take the dog to the scale [a wooden wall used as a dog high jump] and then put its lead over the top of the scale so the dog gets pulled up the scale," PC English said.

"I was instructed to shout 'no' and also to kick the dog."

PC English said he did not know how far off the ground Taz had been suspended but added: "All its four feet would have been off the ground. I remember seeing him suspended in mid-air.

"I was told it was a last resort. I had never seen it before. This was the first time I had ever seen anything like this or heard of anything like this.

"I pretended to kick the dog. I shouted at the dog 'no'. But I actually made out I was kicking the dog when I was not actually kicking it."

'Awkward position'

PC English said PC Hopkins was standing on the other side of the wall - between 5ft and 6ft high - holding on to the dog's lead.

"PC Hopkins was holding the dog. Taking the weight of the dog," added PC English.

"I just moved my right leg out towards the dog as if I was actually kicking him."

PC English said he felt uneasy when ordered to treat Taz in this way.

"I just felt I was in a very awkward position," he said.

"I was told to do these things. I didn't agree with it."

The hearing, which is expected to last for several weeks, continues.