A MAN has been convicted of causing suffering to a pig called Ivor.

Edward Shere, formerly of The Kennels in Bryanston, North Dorset, had denied harming the pig in Sturminster Newton on October 6 2017.

He was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and duty of person responsible for an animal to ensure welfare at Poole Magistrates' Court this week.

Prosecutors said Shere, 29, failed to euthanise Ivor in a 'humane manner'. The defendant also did not ensure the pig's destruction was conducted in an 'appropriate and humane manner', instead dragging the animal onto a trailer with a winch.

Shere, who is now of Gingerland Farm in Cullompton, Devon, will return to the court to be sentence in January. The case was adjourned to allow the probation service to write a pre-sentence report.