A man has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years after the death of his puppy.

Samuel Kirkham, 22, from North Bradley near Trowbridge pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering.

The dog died last October having been thrown across a room.

Kirkham said the Cavachon puppy called Murphy had bitten him so he lashed out and sent the tiny dog flying across the bathroom. Murphy was taken to an emergency vet in a comatose state but died three hours later.

A post mortem examination revealed the puppy had suffered a traumatic injury which had caused extensive internal damage to his skull, mouth, abdominal cavity, kidney, lung, and intestine.

Pleading guilty, Kirkham claimed that the puppy had defecated on the floor so he’d put him in the bath. He told the court Murphy had bitten him so he struck him, which caused the dog to fly across the bathroom, hitting either the wall or the toilet.

RSPCA inspector Miranda Albinson, who investigated for the animal welfare charity, said: “This was a horribly sad case where poor Murphy lost his life.

“There is no excuse for an innocent animal to be subjected to violence”

Kirkham was sentenced to 270 hours of community service and 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days, fines and costs totalling £835 and was banned from keeping any animal for 10 years with the right of appeal after five years.