A man from Hastings has been banned from keeping dogs for ten years after footage emerged showing him mistreating his pet.
Andrew Masters faced action from the RSPCA following an investigation into allegations of cruelty toward his animal.
RSPCA officers visited Masters’ home on several occasions after local residents raised concerns about the treatment of his dog, Rocco, a three-year-old crossbred bull-type animal. Witnesses reported both verbal and physical mistreatment of the animal.
Inspector Georgina Bowles explained that members of the public had captured video footage showing the 60-year-old behaving aggressively toward Rocco. The recordings apparently showed him attempting to hit the dog, behaving in a threatening manner, shouting, using a lead to lift the animal onto its back legs and hitting its nose, as well as delivering what appeared to be an unprovoked hard kick to the animal’s face.
When shown the recordings, Masters, who lives on Roundwood Road in St Leonard, claimed his behaviour amounted to nothing more than a gentle correction to the nose and an accidental movement of his leg.
Inspector Bowles described numerous meetings with Masters where she provided detailed advice about castration, reward-based training methods, and suggested switching from a collar to a harness. Other RSPCA inspectors and animal welfare officers also recommended muzzling the dog.
Masters attended Hastings Magistrates’ Court on April 2 for sentencing and entered a guilty plea to one count of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.
A veterinary professional who examined the footage told the court that Masters had been given extensive advice from both police and RSPCA staff but persisted in displaying verbally and physically aggressive behaviour toward the dog, with this hostility continuing over time.
The footage revealed the man’s conduct toward Rocco constituted extreme punitive behaviour that no reasonable person would endorse.
The recordings provided to the vet displayed signs of the dog’s anxiety, including crouching and pressing his ears flat.
On November 12, RSPCA officers led by Inspector Andrew Kirby, accompanied by officers from Hastings Police, attended Masters’ property and took Rocco into RSPCA care.
As well as the ten-year ban on dog ownership, which cannot be challenged for five years, Masters received an 18-month conditional discharge. He was also ordered to pay £500 in legal costs and a £26 victim surcharge.
The defence argued that Masters had rehomed the dog from a charity, received contradictory advice about the animal’s care, and that Rocco’s behaviour had been satisfactory during the first half-year of ownership. His own health problems affecting his movement and physical state were mentioned, alongside his frustration at unsuccessful attempts to fit a muzzle and harness on the dog.
Inspector Kirby remarked that dogs experience pain and suffering similar to humans and always deserve to be treated with kindness and compassion. Rocco was unfortunately denied this basic care, resulting in his distress and creating a potential danger to those around him.