Neighbours heard her yelping - what they saw next resulted in them calling the RSPCA

Concerned neighbours heard a dog yelping before seeing her owner ‘swatting’ her and shoving her into a corner of a balcony.

Ramzy Kawbal, 22, was filmed repeatedly hitting the German Shepherd with the sleeve of his dressing gown before pushing her. The video was sent to the RSPCA who sent officials round to Kawbal’s address in Manchester city centre.

They found the dog, Pyro, in a crate as per vet guidance after she broke her leg in a separate incident. Kawbal claimed that she was ‘clumsy’ and he had ‘lost his temper’ after she defecated on the flat's balcony.

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University student Kawbal was handed a hefty fine and disqualified from owning any animals for two years. He previously pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

Prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, Simran Garcha said that on November 23 last year, an animal rescue officer went to the address of Kawbal after the authorisation had received concerned reports of a dog being ‘beaten’ on a balcony.

In the video which was played to the court, Kawbal is wearing a black dressing gown whilst he pulls his hand further up into the sleeve before repeatedly hitting Pyro with it. He can be seen to chastise the dog and shove her into the corner of the balcony repeatedly.

“Following the video, the officer attended and knocked on the door of the defendant’s flat but there was no answer. The officer left a card requesting the defendant to make contact and he did,” Ms Garcha said.

“The officer attended on December 1 2023, and spoke with the defendant. Pyro was locked inside a crate in the bedroom - the defendant having informed the officer that she had fractured her leg after falling off the sofa. He said the vet had advised cage-rest.

Kawbal described Pyro as ‘clumsy, always falling into things’ and said she was costing a lot in terms of vet bills. When she had broken her leg, the vets suggested giving her an x-ray but Kawbal told the officer the cost was ‘too high’.

He allowed ownership of Pyro to the RSPCA, she was removed and taken to the vets. The officer also spoke to Kawbal about the allegations.

“The defendant stated the dog had gone to the toilet in the corner of the balcony and he was trying to move her out of the way so he could clean it but she would not move,” the prosecutor said.

“He was also trying to administer pain medication but she was refusing. He said somebody shouted at him to ‘Stop hitting the dog’ and he shouted back ‘What’, before realising they were taking a picture.”

Pyro was found to have limited injuries as a result, though a veterinary expert who analysed the footage, said that in the moment she would have been exposed to ‘fear, distress and pain for several minutes’.

Kawbal was later arrested and interviewed. He told officers he found it ‘frustrating’ to train Pyro, and that she was barking ‘in excess’ at the time.

He said he ‘lost his temper’ and shouted at her. Kawbal accepted that the video ‘did not look good’, that she ‘looked scared and fearful’ and conceded that he should have ‘handled the situation better’, Ms Garcha added.

Tom Farr, mitigating, said there was ‘brief lapse of judgement and competence’.

“His behaviour was not a deliberate attempt to cause suffering,” he said.

“What was the purpose?” the judge, Recorder Alexander Leach KC interjected.

“He simply lost his temper,” Mr Farr replied. “He is sincerely remorseful and ashamed of his behaviour.

Mr Farr said Kawbal had grown up in Yemen and suffered from a traumatic environment and suffers from PTSD as a result. On the day in question, he was on the phone to his mum, who still lives in Yemen, and could hear ‘bombs going off’ in the background which caused him distress.

He added that he is studying international business management, and had started a charity assisting people with poor mental health.

Addressing Kawbal, Recorder Leach KC said: “You were seen swatting the dog with a sleeve and pushing the dog backwards, as well as chastising the dog. The dog was intimidated by you.”

Kawbal, of Kelso Place, Manchester, was handed a £375 fine, as well as £250 court costs.

He was also banned from owning, keeping or participating in the care of animals for two years.