It was Gandhi who said: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. "

On that measure almost daily cruelty cases in courtrooms across the land paint a picture of a country that has an awful long way to go before it can truly lay claim to being ‘a nation of animal lovers.’ The horrific actions of Jason Metcalfe bear some similarities to last year’s shocking incident in which Mary Bale was caught on camera dumping a cat in a wheelie bin.

The difference is that while the actions of Ms Bale, who was fined a paltry £250, left the animal trapped for 15 hours, Metcalfe smashed 14-year-old Bonnie against a wall at least four times and killed the animal in an appalling act of savagery.

He is said to have flown into a rage after the cat rubbed itself against him in the street.

That and the fact that he had drunk six cans of strong lager are not any kind of excuses for such awful actions.

His punishment needs to deter others.

It must also show that such behaviour is considered to be totally unacceptable in our society.