Animal ban for man filmed throwing dog over gate

A man has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years after being caught throwing his malnourished dog over a six-foot-high (1.8m) garden gate.

James Andrew Marchant, 42, of Privet Drive in Bristol, was also ordered to pay £400 in costs at Bristol Magistrates Court on 24 June after pleading guilty to two animal welfare offences.

Clair Yvonne Malik, 43, of the same address, was also banned from having any pets for five years after admitting to not properly feeding the terrier named Boomer.

The RSPCA launched an investigation after a neighbour filmed Marchant in September 2025, grabbing Boomer by the neck, carrying him across the garden and throwing him over the gate onto paved flooring.

The neighbours who were filming him shouted at him to stop. Police were contacted and Marchant was arrested.

The vet who viewed the footage told the court that Boomer would have experienced pain and anxiety while being held by the neck and immediate pain from the impact of landing.

He added: "The callous manner in which he threw Boomer over the fence, compounded by the failure to have him then checked by a vet, illustrates that he failed in his duty to protect him from pain, suffering, injury and disease."

Boomer was also found to be malnourished, weighing just 2kg (4.4lb) when vets examined him.

He gained weight while in RSPCA care and was re-homed by the charity a month later.

Marchant pleaded guilty to two animal welfare offences, for throwing Boomer over the fence and failing to meet his need for a suitable diet.

He was also ordered to pay £400 costs and an £80 victim surcharge.

Malik, who admitted one charge of failing to meet Boomers needs in relation to his weight, was fined £120 and ordered to pay £400 costs and a £40 victim surcharge.

RSPCA inspector Kim Walters said: "Animals feel pain and suffering just like we do and always deserve to be shown kindness and compassion."

She thanked the neighbour for reporting the incident, adding that the public act as the charity's "eyes and ears".

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