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A cruel dog owner was filmed by a crying bystander dragging a tired young puppy along the pavement.
But Robert Loome's punishment was branded a joke yesterday by the onlooker after he was handed a £300 fine instead of being banned from owning animals in future.
Loombe, 46, was seen pulling the five-week-old Staffordshire bull terrier, called 'Fatsy', on its lead as its belly rubbed along the ground because it was too tired to walk.
The puppy was said to be shaking and grunting and suffered a grazed chin but Loome swore abuse at people who pleaded with him to stop allegedly saying: "You have to be cruel to be kind".
Mother-of-two Jade Barker, 23, was so upset that she filmed him as he walked past with his two other dogs in Gorleston near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
She claimed that he reacted angrily and swore at passers-by who urged him to stop dragging along his pet.