Pc denies killing two police dogs

A police officer has pleaded not guilty to killing two of his German shepherd dogs by leaving them to bake to death in his car.

Police dog handler Pc Mark Johnson, 39, appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court to deny killing his two dogs Jay-Jay and Jet on June 30.

The RSPCA accuses Johnson, who will go on trial at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on February 22, of "unnecessarily confining them (his dogs) in an environment that was detrimental to their wellbeing".

Dressed in a black suit, white shirt and patterned blue-and-beige tie, Johnson spoke only to confirm his name, his age and to deny killing Jet, 10, and 18-month-old Jay-Jay.

The dogs were found in the back of Constable Johnson's car at Nottinghamshire Police's HQ in Arnold after the officer popped in to run some errands.

The deaths happened on one of the hottest days of the year, when temperatures reached 29.3°C.