A BRIERLEY Hill man who filmed two dogs attacking a caged fox in his back garden has been jailed for 22 weeks.

John Thomas Gough, of Byron Street, was also banned from keeping animals for life after he pleaded guilty to one charge of causing a fight between a dog and fox and two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, at Birmingham Magistrates Court.

The court was told the 26-year-old used his mobile phone to video two dogs attacking a fox, which had been trapped in a cage.

He was also heard encouraging the dogs in the footage.

In another video clip, the distressed animal is out of the cage and the dogs are seen to carry on the attack.

Both incidents are said to have taken place at his home address on or about May 16 last year. It is not known what happened to the fox.

The prosecution was brought after the RSPCA and West Midlands Police - acting on intelligence - executed a warrant at Gough’s home address.

It was during this search that his mobile phone was seized and the video was found showing the fox attack, along with still images.

A fox trap was also found at his home along with equipment used when putting terriers down holes in the ground.

In his vehicle officers discovered two fox tails, a terrier box and shovels.

A spokesman for the RSPCA, said: “We do not know what happened to the fox in this horrific attack and the two dogs in the video were not found at the property.

“But an expert who watched the video taken from the phone was able to state that the fox would have suffered due to the bite injuries as well as one of the dogs which was also bleeding during the horrific attack.

“This was premeditated animal cruelty and both the fox and dog clearly suffered at the hands of Gough.”