Joseph Galea, 58, the man convicted of having caused the death of the Boxer dog Gaia in a skip is pleading on appeal that his conviction should be quashed because the court followed a wrong procedure.

Mr Galea, of Vittoriosa, is currently on bail after having been condemned to nine months imprisonment and fined €20,000.

Mr Galea said that although he had pleaded guilty, the court subsequently did not follow the regular procedure.

Furthermore, no consideration was given to the fact that he was a first time offender, even though in the case of the killing of the dog Star, the court had decided against imprisonment because of this consideration.

Mr Galea is also pleading that the punishment ordered by the court is excessive and also failed to consider his early guilty plea..

Gaia was found suffocating in a refuse bag and succumbed while being given urgent treatment at St Francis Animal Welfare Centre.