A MAN has been jailed for eight months and banned from owning animals after he admitted swinging a dog around by his lead against the wall of a train.

The Braintree and Witham Times reported that Kieren Milledge, 22, of no fixed address, admitted to causing the unnecessary suffering of an animal and possession of a bladed weapon at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court.

The Staffordshire bull terrier was attacked on a train between Braintree and Witham on October 10 and staff were forced to cancel the service after they discovered the poor dog's excrement on the seats and walls of a train carriage.

The dog died three days later after appearing to choke and was buried by members of the family who were unaware of the attack.

The dog's body has now been recovered but it is unlikely that a post-mortem will be carried out.

After looking at CCTV in an effort to understand what happened, footage revealed the Staffordshire bull terrier being abused by Milledge at about 10.30pm.

CCTV showed Milledge viciously attacking the dog by hanging him by his lead and then swinging him against the train wall.

The dog was then placed on a seat while Milledge pushed his foot against the dog’s face.

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A FIRE service worker has been sacked after allegedly calling a pregnant woman a “retard” after she got stuck in floodwater with a toddler.

The Echo News reported that Sherry Doran, 33, and her one-year-old child had to be rescued after her car stalled in four feet of water at Buttsbury Wash, in Mountnessing, at about 7pm on Sunday.

The worker, employed by Essex Fire and Rescue Service through an agency, later launched a vile Facebook rant about the incident.

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The service confirmed it had sacked the man following his comments.