A teenager, who was videoed swinging a dog around his head on a lead, has been banned from keeping animals for two years.

Alfie Loft, from Hatfield, pleaded guilty today, Monday, at Hatfield Magistrates Court and was sentenced to the order which included £395 in fines and a 12 week curfew with an electronic tag between 9pm and 6am.

The 19-year-old was arrested on Saturday after the video, posted on Facebook on Thursday evening, showed him walking down Julian’s Road in Stevenage swinging the black chihuahua around his head repeatedly.

The dog, which is not owned by Loft, was returned to its owners and has not sustained any injuries.