Bowls captain 'swung puppy around like hammer thrower'

A bowls captain, Christopher Broadhurst, picked up a puppy and swung it around by its tail in the style of a hammer thrower after it strayed on to the green while he was playing a match. Magistrates heard that Broadhurst, 63, hurled Wellington, a four month-old Labradoodle puppy, around three times

Broadhurst, a part-time company book-keeper, was captaining his team during a home match at Teddington Bowls Club in Surrey at the time of the incident. Julia Reynolds, Wellington's owner, was taking the dog and her three year-old daughter Yasmine for a walk in the park around the bowling green, just yards from their home when Wellington strayed on to the green.

Jackie Franks, prosecuting, told Richmond Magistrates' Court: "The dog was off the lead at the time and it wandered onto the bowling green. There was a game in progress. Witnesses said the dog wandered onto the green in a curious manner. It wasn't running or barking. The defendant picked the dog up and he swung it. Witnesses described it as being in a hammer-style throwing action. The owner saw this happen and shouted to the defendant.



"The defendant shouted back that the dog should be on a lead. She asked the defendant for his details but he refused to give them until the end of the game." Wellington was taken to see a vet, who found no lasting damage had been caused.

Broadhurst voluntarily attended Teddington police station, Surrey, where he was arrested and interviewed by police under caution. He said he had tried to restrain the dog but missed his grasp and grabbed its tail during the incident on July 26 this year.

He was later charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, under sections four and 32 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Frank Lyness, chairman of the bench, told Broadhurst, of Teddington, that the appropriate punishment was a fine of £120 pounds. He also ordered him to pay £70 pounds towards court costs and a further £15 pounds in a victim surcharge.