A Dublin man who violently killed his sick dog in a park full of children has avoided jail time.
According to the Irish Times Liam Dowling (44) claimed that he could not afford to pay for medication for the dog who had allegedly been sick for five months.
Back in July the case was adjourned with Judge Martin Nolan saying that he would not jail Dowling if he was deemed suitable for community service.
On Friday the court heard that the Probation Service had judged him suitable and he was ordered to carry out 200 hours of community service in lieu of a two-year sentence.
The judge, who described what happened to the dog as “incredibly cruel”, did not ban Dowling from keeping dogs in the future.
