The young Monaco resident arrested in Paris in May after killing his puppy has been sentenced to jail. The business student, who lived in an expensive part of Paris, beat his eight month-old beagle puppy to death after the dog bit through the battery of his electronic cigarette.

Neighbours in the usually peaceful building were alerted by the puppy’s loud and pitiful cries over an extended period. At first the culprit claimed the puppy had suffered its injuries after being run over in the underground car park.

The Stéphane Lamart animal rights association, which supported the criminal case, welcomed the French court’s decision.

The culprit – who was hospitalised for a time in the psychiatric ward of the Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco – was sentenced to four months in jail and 20 months of probation. He was banned from keeping an animal and ordered to pay 2,000 euros in damages and 1,200 euros in compensation for legal fees to the Stéphane Lamart association.

The guilty party was not present in court, local French-language daily Monaco Matin reported.

FILE PHOTO: A beagle puppy