Man filmed beating his friend's bulldog with a mop and a shovel is banned from keeping dogs for life

Laurence Skelson, 63, was also ordered to pay £300 in costs.

A 63-year-old Sussex man, Laurence Skelson, has been banned from keeping dogs for life after he was caught on camera abusing one with a plank of wood, a mop and a shove.

In the horrific video, which was filmed by Skelson's neighbours, he can be seen whacking and intimidating Boston, an American bulldog.

The incident, which is said to have taken place in May 2017, was immediately reported to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), West Sussex County Times reported.

Skelson appeared before the Hastings Magistrates' Court on 12 January and pleaded guilty to failing to meet the needs of the bulldog. He was banned from keeping dogs for life and was ordered to pay £300 ($417.39) in costs. Skelson was fined £120 and he would also have to pay £30 as victim surcharge.

According to reports, Skelson was looking after the dog for a friend.

In the video, he can be seen abusing the dog in three separate instances on the same day while the animal can be seen cowered against a fence in his back garden.

After the abuse was reported, the dog was examined by the RSPCA and a vet and fortunately, it did not suffer any significant injuries.

The dog now remains in the care of his owner, the newspaper reported.

Commenting on the entire incident RSPCA Inspector Alison Edwards said: "It really is heart breaking to watch the video and see in one of the clips that Boston was not in any way acting aggressively, in fact quite the opposite, he was behaving in a submissive way by trying to get away from the man and lying on his side, but is still subjected to being jabbed in the neck with a large wooden plank. This was a totally unnecessary way of treating this poor dog.

"I am just grateful that poor Boston did not suffer any lasting physical injuries as a result of this unwarranted incident."

"I hope this sentence sends out a clear message that this type of behaviour against animals will not be tolerated by the courts," Edwards was quoted as saying.