KEVIN MCCABE CONVICTED IN GATESHEAD FOR ANIMAL ABUSE

Kevin Paul McCabe, born around 1997 and residing at Lough Court, Gateshead NE9 6RP, was convicted in 2022 for violent treatment of his dog, Cruise. Unbeknownst to him, CCTV footage captured McCabe casually walking the dog along Clayton Street in Newcastle city center before suddenly kicking him twice. The footage shows McCabe, who has amassed 48 prior convictions, walking along with a friend and the dog on a lead. Without warning, he periodically turned and kicked Cruise, shouting at him repeatedly. CCTV operatives witnessed the incident, called the police, and later identified McCabe as the attacker. Officers arrested him and seized Cruise. Prosecutor Lillian Yanes Hellevick stated, “On the CCTV, you can see the defendant walking along with a friend. The dog is on a lead. The dog is walking alongside him. The defendant twice turns and kicks the dog. On regular intervals, he can be seen hanging over the dog and shouting at it. The defendant claimed the dog had bitten him but there’s no suggestion on the CCTV footage that the dog had bitten the defendant. It seemed he was walking along calmly at all times.” McCabe, who prefers to live on the streets despite having an address in Gateshead, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. The court described his actions as a “deliberate and gratuitous” attack. His defender, Lewis Pearson, explained McCabe had been disciplining Cruise after the dog allegedly bit him, adding, “He lives on the street. His dog is an eight-month-old Boxer called Cruise — that’s his only friend. However, Cruise can be naughty and takes some controlling.” When McCabe was informed that Cruise would be permanently re-homed as part of his sentence, he appeared visibly upset. The court sentenced him to a 12-month community order, with a deprivation order for Cruise, but no mention was made of a ban on owning animals.