A man who hit his dog on the head with a hammer and stabbed her in the chest has been banned from owning or keeping animals for the rest of his life.

Glenn Tweedie pleaded guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to causing unnecessary suffering to the black Labrador, named Caillie, who died of her injuries.

The Scottish SPCA were first alerted after their animal helpline received a concerned call about a dog 'screaming' at a property in Loanhead, Midlothian.

The inspector who attended said it was the "most eye-wateringly violent conduct" he had seen towards a completely innocent pet.

Tweedie initially told the inspector the dog had been euthanised at the vets but then confessed to killing her because he could not afford the vet bill.

He used a hammer to strike the dog twice, and then proceeded to stab her through the thorax, which killed her.

The inspector said Caillie was found at the bottom of a large ditch covered in branches.

A second black Labrador was also found at the property and has been taken into care by the Scottish SPCA.

The inspector said: "Tweedie wrongly claimed Caillie was in immense pain, but in fact it was he who caused his animal to suffer in the most unimaginable way – both physically and mentally.

"To then dump Caillie in a ditch shows Tweedie's complete lack of remorse and how little regard he has for animals."

Tweedie was sentenced to wear an ankle monitor for a year and given a community payback order.