JOHN BOYLE OF BELFAST SENTENCED FOR HORRIFIC ANIMAL CRUELTY

John Joseph Boyle, born on September 17, 1965, and residing at 663 Springfield Road, Belfast BT12 7HD, was convicted of a savage attack on his injured pet dog. Boyle, formerly living at Ardilea Court, Ardoyne, admitted to killing his dog with two hammers after she had been hit by a car. He then disposed of her body in a wheelie bin. The incident occurred on 23 November 2017.

Police responded to Boyle’s home following a report from a concerned neighbour who saw him with the wounded dog and feared she was not receiving proper care. During questioning, Boyle claimed that a friend had taken the dog to a farmhouse in the countryside. However, a search of his house and yard uncovered the dog’s body and two blood-stained hammers.

Boyle confessed to killing the dog and explained, “I couldn’t afford to take her to the vet.”

A spokesperson for Belfast City Council described the case as “particularly extreme and harrowing.” They added, “Belfast City Council brought the prosecution after animal welfare officers followed up on a report that a dog had been knocked down by a car and injured. Mr Boyle took a hammer and killed the dog, placing it in a wheelie bin.”

Animal welfare officers visited Boyle’s property at Ardilea Court and found the dog's remains. Two weapons, a wooden mallet and a metal hammer, both with dried blood on them, were seized from the premises.

The court regarded the offence as so serious that Boyle was sentenced to six months in jail, with additional fines amounting to £264. Furthermore, he has been banned from keeping animals for ten years. Boyle will serve his prison sentence at Maghaberry Prison.

This case was reported by Belfast Live and the Belfast Telegraph.