A man was this week banned from owning dogs for five years and handed a suspended sentence after two dogs died in his care.

Two Papillons belonging to the ex-girlfriend of Cyrus Mendoza Tan, of Albert Street, Douglas, died while he was looking after them.

One drowned in a bath and the other was fatally injured when a cabinet fell on it.

The 24-year-old originally pleaded not guilty to the two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal but then changed his plea to guilty once a vet’s report was received.

He entered a basis of plea which was accepted saying he had not intended to cause the dogs’ deaths but it had resulted from his lack of supervision.

Tan also pleaded guilty to other offences of provoking behaviour, damaging property, and possession of cannabis.

We previously reported how, on December 14 at 4.05am, police were called to the home of Tan’s former girlfriend at Queen’s Apartments after she reported that she thought he was in the rear car park.

The woman said she had heard a noise and the door handle being tried, then banging on the window. She said that she was ’terrified’ and the door handle was broken.

She said she did not look out but thought it was Tan.

When police attended Tan’s home they found £40-worth of cannabis in his bedroom.

He told police he had no recollection of being at Queen’s Apartments.

The woman also said that she believed Tan had killed her two dogs.

She told police he had been bathing one, called Orea, in the bath, on September 18 last year, and told her that he had left it alone, then found it unconscious. Tan said he had left the dog alone in the bath for half an hour while he prepared for a job interview.

On a second occasion, on November 21, Tan arrived at the woman’s workplace and told her that her new puppy, called Akira, had died.

He said that a cabinet had fallen on it.

The court heard on a previous occasion that both dogs were cremated before an expert became involved so no forensic evidence could be provided.

Defence advocate Paul Glover this week told the court that his client had no previous convictions and had ceased using cannabis.

Mr Glover said that Tan had used a large amount of the drug on December 14 when he had gone to Queen’s Apartments.

Regarding the dogs, the advocate said: ’He did not intend to kill those animals. He made the wrong decision on both occasions.

’He should have sought medical assistance.’

Mr Glover referred to a doctor’s report which said there was a high probability Tan was unable to ascertain correct judgement due to ongoing mental health issues.

’He is now with the right people and is medicated,’ said the advocate.

’Mr Tan will not be before the court anytime soon for offences.’

Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes referred to a letter Tan had written to the court saying that he had treated the dogs as if they were his own.

Mrs Hughes said: ’I accept you were suffering from mental health issues at the time. But you should have known regardless of your mental disorder not to leave a dog alone in a bath for that period of time.’

Tan was sentenced to a total of 18 weeks’ custody for the five offences, all suspended for two years.