Peter Toland: Man found guilty in animal cruelty case
- Published
The dog, which was called Luna, was put down by a vet after being found in a park
A man has been found guilty of animal cruelty after a dog he had neglected and beaten had to be put down.
The animal, called Luna, was found buried alive at Ballyarnett country park in Londonderry on 15 March 2023.
The only options were that Peter Toland or someone else had done this, the judge at Londonderry Magistrates' Court said.
Toland, 29, of Cornshell Fields in Derry, had denied causing unnecessary suffering to the dog.
Up to 30 animal rights activists protested outside Bishop Street Courthouse, before Toland was convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to Luna and four further animal welfare charges relating to other animals.
Animal rights activists protest outside Bishop Street Courthouse where Peter Toland was found guilty
He was released on bail and will be sentenced on 11 December.
The court was told that the American bull terrier was was so emaciated when it was found that a vet believed it had been suffering for months as such a degree of emaciation would have taken more than weeks.
A vet told the court she had examined the animal after it was found in March.
The dog was "exceptionally thin" and had bruising on its body, she said.
Its teeth were broken and the vet said it would take "a lot of force to break a canine tooth".
Luna had to be put down and a post-mortem examination found that it weighed 19kg.
The recent injuries were believed to have been caused by "blunt force trauma caused by a wide object".
Toland told police he had left his house during the afternoon and last saw the dog around 09:30.
'Terrible owner'
When he returned, he went looking for the dog.
The court was told that three other dogs in Toland's care were also neglected.
Defence counsel Eoghan Devlin described Toland as a "terrible owner of animals" and said he would probably be banned from owning animals for life.
He argued that there was no evidence that Toland had been the person who buried the dog.
District Judge Ted Magill said that for someone to bury an animal alive was "incomprehensible" and the only options were that Toland or someone else had done this.
The judge said it was obvious that the dog had suffered over "a prolonged period of time" and "that had to be laid at the door of the defendant".
He found Toland guilty of all charges and put the case back until 11 December to allow for a pre-sentence report.
However, he warned Told that he could face a custodial sentence.