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Dog owner in killing cover-up, claim

A dog owner killed his pet before throwing it from the 15th floor balcony of a tower block of flats in Walsall to cover up what he had done, a court heard.

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Dean Edwards, of Stoney Lane, Little Bloxwich, is standing trial at Walsall Magistrates Court accused of causing unnecessary suffering to a Staffordshire bull terrier-type dog, named Diesel.

Mr Nick Sutton, prosecuting, told the court yesterday that the two-year-old dog suffered a "blunt blow" to its chest, causing "massive injury" to its heart and surrounding arteries.

He said the 44-year-old then threw the body of the dog over his balcony at Smith House. The court heard that the animal was discovered dead by another resident of the tower block lying on the ground outside on the morning of November 15 last year.

Police and RSPCA inspectors attended and the dog was taken to a vets in Wolverhampton. Mr Sutton said the dog suffered no fractured bones and had limited bruising to its body because it was dead before falling from the balcony.

He said: "The prosecution's case is that this man killed the dog and threw it from the balcony. "He attempted to cover up the act by fabricating a fall."

The court heard from RSPCA inspector Robert Crutchley who said he saw blood on the outside of the balcony. He said when Edwards' flat was inspected "splatters" of blood were on the inside of the balcony, the floor and also on radiators.

Giving evidence, he said: "There was a large amount of blood." Baseball and rounders bats were also seized and Edwards was arrested.

Edwards denies subjecting the dog to unnecessary physical violence.

The trial continues.

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