Sex offender Keith Harrison, residing at Sandown Bay Holiday Park in Yaverland, confessed to causing actual bodily harm and inflicting unnecessary suffering on a dog through strangling during an incident on August 25 of the previous year.
Keith Harrison, a 56-year-old offender, was sentenced at the Isle of Wight Crown Court on Friday, November 15.
The court heard that Keith Harrison was at home with his partner, where they spent the day installing shelves and having a barbecue without any complications.
Nonetheless, the ambiance shifted ominously after she retired for the night, as Keith Harrison commenced playing music in the early hours, stated Tim Devlin, the prosecutor.
Upon her request to decrease the noise, Keith Harrison grew aggressive, seized her tiny dog, Winston, by the scruff of the neck, and strangled him.
The woman documented the event, recording the dog’s “scream” and “yelp in pain” throughout the throttling, as well as his threat to her that he would “finish her off,” stated Mr. Devlin.
Keith Harrison denied the allegation of sexually assaulting the dog.
Keith Harrison subsequently forced her to the ground and struck her head, causing injuries to her face and neck.
She captured images of the injuries and submitted them to the police, accompanied by a complete audio recording of the incident.
Despite a neighbour also recording part of the incident, Keith Harrison initially denied the events, court was told.
In her victim statement, the woman described Keith Harrison’s behaviour as “unpredictable” and “frightening”.
Jim Osborne, defending, said his client was remorseful and regretted his actions, although this was not expressed in his pre-sentence report.
Mr Osborne said: “His use of alcohol and drugs was a factor in his behaviour.
“He admits binge drinking, that he suffers with mental health problems and uses substances to self-treat his condition — but has taken steps to address the issues.”
Since 2003, Keith Harrison has seven previous convictions for nine offences, and restraining orders, all linked to domestic violence against four other partners.
Judge William Ashworth sentenced Keith Harrison to 27 months in jail and issued a ten-year restraining order preventing him from contacting his victim.
He said: “You had no intention of reforming your behaviour, following a spate of domestic violence against former partners.”
Keith Harrison put his thumbs up to the judge and said: “Cheers mate,” while a woman supporting him in the public gallery shouted at the judge he had “just signed a man’s death sentence”.
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