The man’s neighbors were yelling at him to stop before they ultimately called the police, per the BBC

A man has been barred from owning animals for a decade after admitting to abusing his severely underweight dog, including throwing the terrier over a nearly 6-foot-tall garden gate.

James Andrew Marchant, of Bristol, England, pleaded guilty to two animal welfare offenses and was sentenced at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on June 24, according to the BBC.

He was also ordered to pay about $530 and an additional victim surcharge of about $105 — which is a mandatory financial penalty that courts add to most criminal sentences in England and Wales.

The case stemmed from an incident in September 2025, when neighbors recorded Marchant, 42, grabbing his dog, a terrier named Boomer, by the neck, carrying him across a yard and throwing him over a garden gate onto a paved surface, according to the outlet.

The witnesses shouted for him to stop before contacting police, who arrested Marchant, per the BBC.

Clair Yvonne Malik, who lived at the same address, also pleaded guilty to failing to meet Boomer’s nutritional needs. The woman, 43, was banned from keeping animals for five years, fined about $160, and ordered to pay about $530 in costs and just under $55 for the victim surcharge, according to the outlet.

A veterinarian who reviewed the footage of the September 2025 incident told the court that Boomer would have suffered pain and distress while being held by the neck, followed by immediate pain when he struck the ground.

“The callous manner in which he threw Boomer over the fence, compounded by the failure to have him then checked by a vet, illustrates that he failed in his duty to protect him from pain, suffering, injury and disease,” the veterinarian said, per the BBC.

Boomer was also found to be severely underweight, weighing 4.4 lbs. when examined by veterinarians.

Boomer was taken into custody by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), where he gained weight and was rehomed about a month later.

The RSPCA filed the charges against Marchant and Malik.

Kim Walters, an investigator for the RSPCA, thanked the neighbors who reported the abuse and encouraged members of the public to continue speaking up when they witness suspected animal cruelty.

“Animals feel pain and suffering just like we do and always deserve to be shown kindness and compassion,” Walters said in a statement obtained by the BBC.

She added that the public acts as the charity’s “eyes and ears” by reporting suspected abuse.

The RSPCA did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Source: https://people.com/man-banned-from-owning-animals-for-10-years-after-throwing-dog-over-fence-12012058