A man who strangled his dog and dumped the body after wrongly thinking it was dead has been banned from keeping pets for three years.

Barry King, formerly of Maynards Caravan Park, Arundel, admitted cruelty to his Staffordshire bull terrier, Charlie. He was also ordered to pay £1,723.05 costs But an RSPCA inspector has hit out at the punishment given by Chichester magistrates.

Inspector Kirsty Hampton said "This man set out deliberately to kill his dog and he should have been banned for life from keeping animals."

The court heard yesterday that in September 2002, King took Charlie to Blakehurst woods in Crossbush and squeezed him by the throat to throttle him. He then buried the dog's limp body in undergrowth.

However, Charlie survived and two days later managed to drag himself out. He was found on a nearby doorstep.

Ms Hampton tracked down King, who now lives in Somerset. He claimed the dog had tried to bite him.

Meanwhile, Charlie was taken into RSPCA care suffering from breathing problems. The dog also had severe behavioural problems and, despite therapy, had to be put down.

An RSPCA spokesman said it wanted magistrates to use their full powers and felt in this case justice had not been done.