A man who filmed his dog chase and attack a deer has appeared in court. Richards, Lestraynes Lane, Penryn, Cornwall, was charged after the RSPCA was alerted to the distressing video clips posted on Facebook, showing a 13-month-old beige saluki cross lurcher named Butch chasing and bringing down a young deer.

A vet examined the footage as part of the RSPCA investigation. In a statement to the court, they said: "When the footage ended the deer was clearly still alive, we cannot say how long before the poor creature was put out of its pain, nor what method was used for this."

He added: "One thing that we can be sure of is that the deer suffered terribly. Unlike animals such as dogs, horses, cattle and sheep, deer do not vocalise under normal circumstances, only when they are terrified or in pain or during the mating season. Thankfully it is extremely unusual to hear a deer vocalise. It is without doubt that this deer suffered terribly."