A CARLISLE man accused of beating up his girlfriend's pet dog has been cleared causing it unnecessary suffering.

Darren McVittie, 22, had to defend himself before magistrates after his neighbours told police they saw him punching something below a window as they heard the sound of dog yelping loudly.

But after hearing that a vet had found no evidence whatsoever that the dog was bruised or injured magistrates declared him not guilty.

The two-hour trial, at the city's Rickergate Magistrates' Court, began with evidence from the couple whose home overlooks the property where Mr McVittie lives with his girlfriend.

Kimberley Scott told the court she was at home on the evening of August 22 when she heard a lot of banging from the direction of Margaret Creighton Gardens.

Her games room directly overlooked the property where Mr McVittie lives with his partner Ashley Losh.

For a couple of minutes, she heard a dog squealing, she said.

"He was incredibly angry," said Miss Scott, describing Mr McVittie.

"He was screaming 'get on your bed.'"

She had a clear view of the defendant through his window, she said.

Miss Scott described seeing Mr McVittie punching downwards for 10 to 20 seconds as the dog squealed.

She asked her partner John Huddart to call the police, telling him: "He's beating up his dog."

Minutes later, she said, she saw Mr McVittie throwing a used "dog poo bag" across the back garden.

It landed on a neighbour's garage roof.

"I shouted 'Scruffy scroat' out of the window," she said.

Mr Huddart gave similar evidence, saying he too heard yelping as Mr McVittie leaned forward and punched something.

In his evidence, Mr McVittie said he had grown up with animals, and regarded dogs as part of the family.

He would never do anything to hurt his girlfriend's dog, called Zola, a pug Jack Russell cross.

Describing the dog, he said: "She's very, very nervous. I'd never maliciously beat her for no apparent reason."

Mr McVittie said police had taken Zola to the vet after his arrest, and when his partner collected the dog the vet had she had no injuries whatsoever.

"When they got Zola settled in, she was fine and happy.

"There were no injuries. There was nothing wrong with her at all. They said they'd never met such a lovely dog. There was no bruising, nothing."

He knew of at least two other dogs in nearby properties, including one next door which barked a lot, he said.

Mr McVittie asked why police had not recovered the poo bag if he had thrown it across the garden.

Miss Losh confirmed that the vet found nothing wrong with Zola - a point the prosecution accepted.

Asked how Mr McVittie was with the dog, she said: "He loves her to bits."

Prosecutor Peter Kelly asked: "Have you ever seen him hit her?" She replied: "No."

Finding Mr McVittie not guilty, magistrates said that all the witnesses gave credible evidence but they noted that there were other dogs living in the area and nobody saw Mr McVittie actually hitting Zola.