A dog owner filmed punching his pet in the head has been banned from keeping animals - but now claims he should be compensated for an invasion into his privacy after the footage was posted on Facebook.
Jonathan Bloomfield, 37, was filmed viciously punching and swearing at his 18-month-old Staffordshire bull terrier, Butch, by a neighbour earlier this year.
The footage was posted online and went viral and his violence enraged people so much that an angry mob turned up on his doorstep and forced him to flee to London.
But now after he was banned from keeping dogs for 15 years at Grimsby Magistrates' court after admitting two counts of animal cruelty, Bloomfield claims he 'should be compensated for the invasion of privacy.'
The 37-year-old said he felt sorry for what he did but added: 'If my neighbour had concerns, he should have got in touch with the RSPCA, not make videos of my family and put them on Facebook and YouTube.
'I will be seeking the advice of a solicitor and should be compensated for the invasion of privacy which has left my family homeless and denied my young son a better future.'
The court heard how Bloomfield claimed that he punched the dog because it had bitten his three-year-old son's hand when taking a packet of crisps from him.
He also claimed he was stressed from work and was 'sick of the dog barking'.
Bloomfield said: 'I heard my son crying and he was holding his hand, saying the dog bit him. I was angry so I went out and bashed him.
'It is not in my nature to be cruel to animals and I know it was not the best way to go about things but I was upset.'
Bloomfield claims to be an animal lover and insisted that his neighbours didn't like his family because they were from London.
During the court case, magistrates were warned the footage - filmed between September 9 and October 18 - contained 'disturbing' images.
It showed Butch whimpering to be let inside the house and then being beaten twice with a pole by Bloomfield at the rear door of the property.
In a separate shot, the animal is then seen standing outside the door whining when the door is flung open and the creature flinches in fear.
Next, a woman in a bra and trousers with a towel on her head opens the door and allegedly whips the dog with a cloth before slamming the door in its face.
One shot shows the dog eventually being allowed in the house, but not before cowering in terror.
Finally, the most disturbing piece of footage shows Bloomfield seemingly grabbing the dog by its neck before punching it twice in the head and kicking it while a small boy appears behind him, apparently egging him on.
The 37-year-old father was arrested on October 18 after his neighbour Michael Currie posted the video on Facebook.
Bloomfield continued: 'Neighbours didn't like us because we are from London.
'They would come round complaining that the dog was making a noise and then film me when I smacked him.'
Bloomfield also kept lizards, a bird and a fish - but has since got rid of them because he 'genuinely thought' he was going to prison.
He added: 'I plan to replace the lizards but after everything that has happened, I will never keep a dog again - even after the 15-year ban is up.
'We are now living with my mother in London.
'My son has had to leave the nursery he went to and the friends he made.
'We lost everything we loved in the space of an hour.
'I have lost my house over this and it is wrong.'
Butch was taken into the care of the RSPCA. Mr Bloomfield was also ordered to complete 260 hours of unpaid work and pay £100 costs.
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