A WINCHESTER man has been banned from keeping dogs for 25 years after he was convicted of cruelty and neglect.

Welfare officers found a Belgian Malinois, called Ben at a depot at Micheldever nearWinchester.

A court heard Ben was very emaciated and was being slowly strangled by his chain.

The dog was found to have a choke chain that had been on him since he was a puppy. The chain had become so small that it had started to embed itself into the dog’s neck.

Ben's owner, Caleb Loveridge from Micheldever, was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Loveridge was sentenced to an 18-week suspended prison sentence with 250 hours community service.

He was fined £4,000 and was hit with a 25-year ban from owning or caring for any dogs.

Winchester City Council’s Animal Welfare Team tracked down and got evidence to prosecute Loveridge for animal cruelty and neglect.

The 18-month-old dog was immediately taken to the vet to have the chain removed. After a month of recuperation Ben has made a full recovery.

Cllr Frank Pearson, Portfolio Holder for Environment, Health and Wellbeing, said: “The animal welfare team takes responsible dog-ownership seriously. We are pleased with this result and will not tolerate cruelty of this nature."

He added: “Fortunately cases like this are rare – we have had four successful prosecutions since 2013.”