A court has heard harrowing details of how teenager Max O’Neill filmed 2 dogs ripping apart a badger before he then stamped on the helpless animal, in what has been described as an act of ‘torture’.
O’Neill, 18, now of Southfield Gardens in Haylands, appeared at the Isle of Wight Youth Court for sentencing today (Wednesday), having previously changed his plea from not guilty to guilty in respect of a charge of attempting to kill a badger contrary to the Protection of Badgers Act 1992.
Crown Prosecutor Liz Miller explained to the court how evidence of O’Neill’s ‘incredibly distressing’ offending was uncovered when police downloaded data from his phone, in connection with unrelated matters.
A video was found that showed 2 dogs – a Staffordshire Terrier called Lola and an American Akita called Zeus – attacking a badger, ripping it apart. The incident took place on 29th March 2025 in Brading.
Ms Miller went on to describe how O’Neill was then seen stamping on the badger in the video, subjecting the protected animal to what she described as torture. He then let the dogs wash off the blood in a nearby watercourse.
Both dogs belong to O’Neill’s mother, but the-then 17-year-old had custody of the animals on the day in question.
Defending O’Neill, solicitor Ed Stott said that his client was someone with ‘neurodiversity’ and someone who struggles with his mental health. At the time of the offence, O’Neill was going through a turbulent period, and just 13 days after the badger attack, Max was transferred to local authority accommodation in Portsmouth.
He added that O’Neill was described by his family as someone who has a ‘love of animals’.
In sentencing, magistrates described the matter as a ‘really serious offence’ that was ‘appalling’ and ‘very unpleasant’. They handed Max O’Neill a sentence of 4 months in youth detention, suspended for 12 months. O’Neill was banned from having custody of any dog for a period of 3 years.
The shocking act of cruelty occurred just over 2 weeks after O’Neill attacked a pensioner in Ryde, as previously reported by Island Echo. He is on licence until August next year for the string of serious assaults.
