A fleeing domestic abuser who sunk his teeth into the ear of a pursuing police dog has admitted breaking its jaw with a metal pole.
Jamie O’Neill had already assaulted his former partner at an address in Kilwinning on March 26 before throwing a brick through the window of a neighbouring property.
The shards of glass landed perilously close to a vulnerable 60-year-old woman, who was bedridden and suffered from vascular dementia, at the house on Dirrans Terrace.
The 33-year-old fled the scene and was soon tracked to the Nethermains Industrial Estate at around 3.40pm.
Police dog handler Paul O’Donnell attended and deployed PD Remo to apprehend O’Neill, who reached down and grabbed a large metal pole which he used to repeatedly hit the dog on the head.
As the dog continued to bite the calf on his right leg, O’Neill hunched over and sunk his teeth into Remo’s ear – causing a hole to pierce through the lobe.
O’Neill then struck PC O’Donnell in the face with the same metal pole before eventually being brought under control.
During a journey to Crosshouse Hospital, near Kilmarnock, the thug continued to struggle violently in the back of the vehicle, forcing officers to stop and restrain him.
Once he arrived at the hospital for treatment to his leg, O’Neill continued to be verbally abusive before spitting in the face of a nurse.
He also continued to make threats towards his ex-partner and said he would “petrol bomb” her house.
Procurator fiscal depute Ruaraidh Ferguson told Kilmarnock Sheriff Court: “The constable suffered a cut to the left ear and also to the right cheek.
“The dog was seriously injured and required stitches to close the injury in the ear which was caused by the accused biting it.
“Also, as a result of being struck by the pole, the dog lost one of its full canine teeth and suffered a fractured jaw.”
O’Neill’s defence solicitor told the court his client had very little recollection of the events having taken a “lethal cocktail” of Valium which did not mix well with his ADHD and depression.
He added that his client was “utterly ashamed” of his behaviour towards his ex-partner, the police and the dog.
O’Neill, a prisoner at HMP Kilmarnock, pled guilty to nine charges including two police assaults, causing unnecessary suffering to the dog and culpable and reckless conduct on Monday.
Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane deferred sentence for background reports until next month and O’Neill was remanded in custody.
PD Remo, a belgian malinois-Dutch herder cross, suffered a broken tooth and underwent root canal surgery before a titanium crown was fitted.
He has recovered well and returned to duty after the attack.
The brave police dog previously made headlines after a bungling thief tried to get him off his tail by attempting to feed him pizza and two cans of Tennents lager in December last year.
