A 15-year-old boy tortured a pet rabbit to death in an attack described by magistrates as “sickening” and “horrendous”.

The boy, from Brierley Hill, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to the rabbit by beating, kicking, cutting it with a knife and getting his dog to chase it.

Dudley Youth Court heard that the boy picked the rabbit up roughly by its ears, kept pushing his dog’s nose and face into the animal, struck it with a stick and a steel knife-sharpener, kicked it and cut it with a knife.

Presiding magistrate Mrs Mary Yeates, who described the crime as “horrendous”, told the boy: “We’ve read what happened and it’s made us feel really sick.”

The boy was given a 12- month youth rehabilitation order, was banned from keeping any pet for six years and ordered to pay £250 from his pocket money towards the RSPCA costs.

His mother was given a parenting order to provide her with help to support her son during the rehabilitation.

Mr Nick Sutton, prosecuting for the RSPCA, said it was a “sad reflection of our times” that two workmen who witnessed the “sustained, brutal and pointless” attack were under orders never to confront tenants when working in their homes.

“They had to stand by and simply watch before one could stand it no more,” said Mr Sutton, who described the attack as “torture.”

A statement by workman Mark Walmer said he was at the boy’s home on September 27 when he looked out of the window to see the boy pick up a white rabbit with brown markings by the ears, before dropping it three feet to the floor and then repeatedly pushing his dog’s nose into the small animal.

Mrs Hashmita Patel, defending, said the boy had told her: “I am sorry for what’s happened and it won’t happen again.

“I’ve got to be punished for it.”