Man attacks person who called him ‘animal abuser’

A man who kicked a puppy in the head took exception to being called an ‘‘animal abuser’’ and attacked the name-caller inside a Taranaki shopping mall.

Andrew Lindsay Freeman Strong approached the victim and his partner while at Centre City Shopping Centre in New Plymouth about lunchtime on July 21 last year.

Strong took issue with the couple over text messages that had been sent by them that week, the New Plymouth District Court was told yesterday.

A heated argument ensued between Strong and the victim, who, fearing an assault, then attempted to flee the area.

But Strong grabbed the man by his shirt and shoved him into the wall of a shop, a police summary of facts detailed.

The victim made a second attempt to walk away but Strong grabbed the man by his torso and threw him onto the tiled floor.

The impact of hitting his head and upper body resulted in the man being knocked unconscious and breaking his clavicle.

Bystanders intervened and assisted the victim as Strong briefly continued to pin the unconscious man to the floor.

Strong later told police he assaulted the man because he had called him an ‘‘animal abuser’’.

The month before, on June 27, Strong had been visiting a friend at her New Plymouth home. Strong objected to the woman’s 12-week-old puppy running down the hallway and kicked out, striking it on the side of the head.

The puppy was knocked backwards into a stereo speaker and howled for five minutes before hiding, the summary stated.

The dog suffered psychological damage as a result, it said.

In court, Strong pleaded guilty to being cruel to an animal, common assault and injuring by an unlawful act.

Judge Tony Greig ordered a pre-sentence report and referred the matter to restorative justice. Strong will be sentenced on June 25.