A Doberman was shot in the head after attacking his owner, a pensioner from Mosta, a court heard yesterday.

George Borg, 63, stood in the dock wearing a red chequered, short-sleeved shirt, a maroon jacket and jeans as he admitted charges of animal cruelty, shooting dead an animal without authorisation and failing to abide by the conditions of his gun licence.

According to the charges, he shot the dog on Sunday in Wied il-Għasel in Mosta while the animal was tied to a tree.

The dog was chipped, which led the police straight to Mr Borg. He admitted shooting the animal but told the police he had done so two weeks earlier.

During submissions on punishment, defence lawyer Caroline Farrugia said her client had fully cooperated with the investigation and had always been a law-abiding citizen.

When he was contacted by the police, he immediately admitted shooting the dog dead. This was not some small Chihuahua but a Doberman that had attacked her client, she said, leaving him with no option but to kill the dog even though he loved him.

The case, she argued, did not merit an effective jail term.

Police Inspector Joseph Busuttil said the dog had died of a single shot to the head and in X-rays one could see a lot of lead in the animal.

He presented a large shotgun and five cartridges which were found in Mr Borg’s home.

Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras told Mr Borg, as is standard procedure, that the charges could result in a maximum jail term of one year.

At this point he told her that he would like to apologise for his actions and was very sorry for what he had done.

In submissions on punishment, Inspector Busuttil said he was leaving it in the hands of the court.

The magistrate granted Mr Borg bail until Friday when she will hand down the sentence.