A man has been jailed for an act of appalling animal cruelty – the worst case an RSPCA inspector has seen in 21 years experience.

Jason Khalili, 50, from Hollymoor Lane, Epsom, was found guilty of slashing his dog’s throat, and on Monday was jailed for 26 weeks, banned from keeping an animal for life, and ordered to pay £400 in costs by Redhill magistrates.

The RSPCA said that Rocky, a two-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier, was lucky to survive – any other breed would have died after the attack on August 1, 2008.

At a previous hearing Khalili pleaded not guilty to the animal cruelty charge, but was found guilty after magistrates dismissed his explanation that the dog had wandered off and been attacked by someone else.

After the case RSPCA inspector Liz Wheeler said: “It is nothing short of a miracle that the dog didn’t die. The injuries were extremely severe. It really looked as if he had tried to cut the dog’s head off.”

Inspector Wheeler, who has been an RSPCA inspector for 21 years said: “I have seen a dog stabbing before.

"I have done a lot of casework in my time. I have seen cruelty through neglect and I have seen cruelty through purposeful acts, but I have never seen an injury like that on an animal in my entire life.

"It was the most horrific injury I have ever seen inflicted on an animal.

“I am not easily shocked but this was a shocking injury.”

After the attack Rocky managed to stagger from Hollymoor Lane to the home of his former owner in a nearby road, who called the police and the RSPCA when he saw the horrendous injuries.

Rocky was taken to a vet and put on a drip for 24 hours before he was strong enough to withstand an anaesthetic to have his injuries treated.

“It was a bit touch and go for a while but he has made a really good recovery,” said the inspector.

“It has had a happy ending.

"He has healed up completely and you can hardly see the scar and he has been rehomed.

"He is a really nice dog, a real sweetheart. He has a lovely temperament.”

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