Oxford man jailed after throwing pug dog out of window

Dudley Stein, who was given more than 16 months for crimes committed against two ex-partners, was said to have told the woman that the dog, Borris, was ‘probably dead’ and added: “I wish it were you.”

In a statement, the 30-year-old’s victim said her former boyfriend ‘often beats me up’ and said: “I am very afraid for Borris.”

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The defendant had spent a long weekend from June 16 at the woman’s home after seeing her in Oxford, despite being subject to a restraining order at the time that banned him from contacting her.

Sentencing him at Oxford Crown Court on Tuesday (July 18), Recorder Joseph Hart said the weekend had not been a ‘happy time’, telling Stein that it was ‘marred by your lack of patience and anger, particularly towards [your victim’s] dog’.

Matters came to a head on June 19, the judge noted.

“There was an argument between you and [her]. Borris the dog was snoring. You picked up [her] pet and threw it out a first floor window.

“Not content with this act of abject cruelty, you made the comment that the dog was probably dead and you were glad you [had] finally did it.”

Stein had added ‘I wish it were you’, meaning that he wished his partner had been in the animal’s place.

“I accept that this was an act of sheer rage, because some time later in fact you helped [the victim] try and seek the dog,” the judge said. Thankfully, the pug survived his defenestration.

At the time, Stein was subject to a five month suspended prison sentence imposed by the magistrates in April.

And just six days after that sentence was imposed, Stein had breached another restraining order by contacting a different ex-partner via Facebook and asking to see his son.

She discovered that he had also contacted her old profile, which she re-accessed this year, in 2018 and 2021.

In the first message he apologised for his behaviour that had led to the restraining order being imposed in 2017, the court heard.

Stein, of Coniston Avenue, Oxford, pleaded guilty at the magistrates’ court to four counts of breaching restraining orders and a charge of attempted criminal damage of Borris the dog.

He had five previous convictions, including for false imprisonment and assault.

In a pre-sentence report he was described by the probation officer who interviewed him as an intelligent man who understood the nature of his crimes.

On Tuesday, Recorder Hart jailed him for 14 months for the latest offences and added 10 weeks for the suspended prison sentence Stein had breached.

The judge said: “Your previous convictions are aggravating features in respect of all of the offences and they demonstrate that, notwithstanding your understanding and intellect addressed by the author of the pre-sentence report, you are unable to control your behaviour.”

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