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A Blackwood man who tortured and mutilated a defenceless hedgehog has been arrested by police.

Richard Coyle, 54, of no fixed abode, was handed a six-month jail sentence for animal cruelty on November 3, 2020.

He was released from prison on licence on December 16 – meaning he had to follow a set of rules, or risk being called back to prison.

However, Gwent Police released a statement earlier this month saying Coyle had broken his licence conditions, and appealed for information on his whereabouts.

Gwent Police refused to disclose what Coyle’s licence conditions were, or what conditions he broke.

However, police issued a statement on Tuesday (January 12) to say Coyle, who was jailed for manslaughter in 2006, had been “located and arrested”.

What did he do?

Coyle denied two animal cruelty charges at Newport Magistrates’ Court on November 3, but was found guilty.

The court was told how Coyle had cut the hedgehog’s legs off, burned the animal and covered its head and eyes with hot candle wax in August 2020.

A district judge found him guilty for offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 by trial and jailed him for six months.

He was also banned from keeping animals for ten years and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £122. A victim surcharge imposed by the courts goes to fund victim services.

RSPCA inspector Simon Evans described the case as “one of the worst examples of animal cruelty I’ve ever seen”.