Teenager admits 'sick act' on dog

Post mortem tests found Emmie died in a road accident

A 19-year-old man has admitted putting a firework into a dead Yorkshire Terrier while his friend took pictures of the attack on his mobile phone.

Steven Robinson, of Linthwaite, pleaded guilty to committing an act of an unlawful, abusive and disgusting nature and outraging public decency.

The dog was found with a firework tied to its body on 29 October 2005.

Recorder Guy Kearl QC adjourned the case at Bradford Crown Court until 18 April for pre-sentence reports.

Wheelie bin

The court heard the 11-year-old dog, Emmie, went missing from her home in Linthwaite on 27 October.

Her body was later found by Robinson, a 16-year-old youth and a third person who has not been caught.

Prosecuting, Helen Sanderson said Robinson had placed a firework inside the dog, before its body was discovered in a wheelie bin by a neighbour on 29 October.

A post mortem examination showed Emmie's fatal injuries had been caused in a road accident.

Defending Robinson, Michelle Colborne said her client accepted what he had done was a sick act but said it was carried out by a foolish man, not an evil one.

The basis of his guilty plea was that the actions were part of the acts of three people, she added.

Loud bang

The 16-year-old, who took photos of the attack on his mobile phone, received a formal reprimand in relation to the incident.

Outside the court, police said the neighbour who found Emmie's body had heard a loud bang and seen three youths bend down and set fire to something in the road.

Insp Martin Lister, of West Yorkshire Police, said it had been a difficult offence to investigate but he hoped Robinson's guilty plea would bring some comfort to Emmie's owners.

"We hope this result reassures the victims of this tragic incident and the local community that we will not tolerate acts of this nature," he said.