A father who beat and kicked a puppy as his five-year-old child looked on and laughed has been spared jailed.

Edward Andrews was seen punching, kicking and dragging the Kito/husky cross puppy as he and his son walked home on October 21.

The 47-year-old was given a six-month supervision order and told to complete six months alcohol treatment.

Andrews, of Warbank Crescent, New Addington, pleaded guilty to causing suffering to an animal at a previous hearing on October 28.

The court heard he was spotted by a member of the public dragging the dog by its lead, before swinging it in front of him, as his son laughed at his actions.

Prosecutor Terry Curtis, said: "The dog was walking behind him, he swung the dog from the back to the front, the dog was airborne for a few seconds."

The witness told police she thought the puppy had died after Andrews repeated the action four times, causing the dog to lay motionless on the floor.

But rather than help the animal, Andrews picked the dog up and dropped it back on to the concrete several times, from a height of around five feet.

A second witness told police they had also seen the single father punch and kick the dog several times.

Andrews' solicitor, Mark Jones, told the court his client was drunk at the time of the incident and had no recollection of his actions.

He said: "He was concerned when it was pointed out to him that his young son was present, he is genuinely remorseful.

Andrews was ordered to pay costs of £85 and was also banned from keeping animals for 20 years.

When sentencing the Magistrate told him: "We have heard what has been said and you are lucky we are not here for being in charge of a child while drunk.

"The fact you had your son with you and he thought it was funny is appalling.

"We have decided to give a ban because what you did was so appalling.

"I know it is a long time but everything we heard about the treatment of this animal was appalling."

Andrews also had another dog, both animals are now being cared for by the RSPCA.