A thug who repeatedly punched and kicked a police dog has been jailed.
Kyle Hollingsworth, aged 32, was reported to police after he broke into a woman’s back garden in Gladstone Street, Mansfield, and began banging on windows.
A dog officer on routine patrol attended the scene at around 9.30pm on 27 October last year and challenged Hollingsworth in the street.
Hollingsworth, who was carrying a large bottle at the time, refused to comply with instructions from the officer and approached her.
He then lashed out at Police Dog Max and continued to punch and kick him even after he was taken to the floor.
Hollingsworth was arrested at the scene and later pleaded guilty to criminal damage, affray and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday 24 January he was jailed for 12 months.
Max, a two-year-old German shepherd who already has an impressive service history, escaped serious injury in the attack and is now back on the beat.
PC Simon Nicol, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“The human victims in this case were at home in what should be a safe place when Hollingsworth forced his way through a fence into their garden and began screaming and shouting outside. Unsurprisingly they were terrified by this and must now live with the memory of what happened.
“Fortunately for us and the wider public, Max has shown no ill-effects from the assault and has been going from strength to strength as an operation police dog.
“Dogs like him and their handlers do a fantastic job in tracking down suspects and protecting the public from harm and we won’t hesitate to take action against anyone who treats them in this way.”
Mansfield 103.2 Afternoon News - 211124
