Well, Of Course You ‘Never Thought About Consequences’…

…there really weren’t any from the justice system, were there?

An airline pilot who drowned his neighbour’s dog in a moment of madness to stop its barking has been handed a 12-week suspended prison sentence. He was ordered to pay costs of £2,400 and a victim surcharge of £180.

This is the case I said I’d be keeping an eye on. Turns out worse than I suspected:

In mitigation Sara-Lise Howe said that Woodhouse had become distressed by the dog’s barking, and had suffered a heart attack a year earlier.

“He had no idea how it happened,” she said. “He just lost his wits. He just wanted the dog to stop it.

“It is clear that it was a momentary lack of sanity because there was no animosity between the families.”

Really? I bet there is now!

Strange there’s no council staff called to verify his claims of multiple complaints, eh?

But…just a moment of madness? Bloody long ‘moment’!

Woodhouse had attempted to dump the body of the dog on three occasions afterwards. He had first intended to dispose of the animal by a hedge row in Long Buckby Wharf and later considered areas around Birmingham airport and Ashby St Ledgers.

But realising the dog may have been microchipped, he did not go through with it. He instead made attempts to remove the chip with a knife, with no success.

That’s not a moment of madness, that’s planning, albeit incompetent.

Miss Howe said the incident had ‘divided’ the village of Long Buckby and added that the last year had been a ‘living hell’ for the pilot.

She also said Woodhouse had since been pronounced as fit to work following psychiatric assessments.

But after the recent Germanwings disaster, thankfully Flybe have suspended him.

Well, would you get in a plane flown by such an unhinged whackjob?