Hurstpierpoint man jailed for attempting to have sex with dog

Peter Lerwill, 30, of Western Road in Hurstpierpoint, pleaded guilty at Lewes Crown Court to attempting intercourse with an animal and was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison.

He has also been issued with a five-year criminal behaviour order banning him from owning or having any unsupervised custody or control of a dog and will also be on the sex offenders register for five years.

Peter Lerwill was jailed for 12 weeks after pleading guilty to attempting to have sex with a dog (Image: Sussex Police)

Lerwill was arrested in June after police received a report of a man dressed in women’s clothing involved in a sexual act with a dog.

The dog was taken to a vet for assessment and care and later returned to its owner.

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Forensic samples obtained during the assessment strengthened the case that there had been activity of a sexual nature with the dog.

The animal did not suffer any physical injury.

Lead investigator Oliver Robinson said: “This was an extremely upsetting case where Lerwill preyed on a defenceless animal.

“This was also a challenging case which relied on witness accounts rather than the victim, as in most cases.

“Thanks to the prompt reporting by the informant, we were able to arrest Lerwill and complete forensic examinations within a timely manner, which helped secure the conviction.

“This conviction means Lerwill will be appropriately managed by a specialist team of officers for five years to ensure compliance with the orders imposed by a court.

“The dog was able to be returned to its owner who can be confident that their dog and others cannot be targeted by Lerwill going forward.”