An ex-soldier who "viciously" beat up a pensioner in his bedsit and then strangled his elderly dog to death has been jailed.

Kelly Jones, who served in the Falklands War, punched, kicked and stamped on Martin Marsh and then took his 15-year-old pet into the bathroom and throttled him with a cord.

Canterbury Crown Court heard the horrific act was committed after a cocaine-fuelled Jones had told 66-year-old Mr Marsh he should have the dog, called Jack-Jack, put down.

Following his arrest, the former serviceman boasted he "would do it again" and also tried to partly blame Mr Marsh for killing the animal.

The two men had only known each other for a week when Jones, 56, turned up shouting outside Mr Marsh's home at Pavilion Court in Marine Terrace, Folkestone late at night on April 14.

Both were said to be heavy users of class A drugs and "acrimonious, aggressive and abusive" with each other at the time of the incident.

Mr Marsh could not afford electricity at his bedsit and, once Jones was inside, a row broke out when he complained about the state of the property, said prosecutor Caroline Knight.

"The defendant punched Mr Marsh in the face and that blow sent him to the floor," she told the court.

"The attack continued with Mr Marsh being kicked and punched and stamped on his head, he thinks, for around 10 to 15 minutes.

"The defendant also put his fingers and thumbs into Mr Marsh's eyes, causing him to suffer very serious pain and to think he may end up blind.

"He describes being in fear for his life and screaming for help."

Jones, of Station Road, New Romney, eventually fell asleep on a sofa and, on waking the next morning, apologised.

But the court heard the ex-serviceman then turned his attention to Mr Marsh's dog.

"He was called Jack-Jack and was about 15 years old and very thin, possibly under-nourished," continued the prosecutor.

"The defendant told Mr Marsh he should have the dog put down. When Mr Marsh refused, the defendant took it into the bathroom, put a cord around its neck and strangled him to death."

Mr Marsh, who had suffered head and eye injuries, fled to a neighbour and police were called.

Officers found Jones hiding in the kitchen and despite initially telling them "I'll admit to what I've done and I would do it again", in interview he claimed to have he acted in self-defence and "assisted" Mr Marsh in killing Jack-Jack, said Ms Knight.

Jones, who has 33 previous convictions for 63 offences, later admitted assault causing actual bodily harm and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

Sarah Thorne, defending, urged the court to show Jones "some mercy", saying he accepted he had behaved "appallingly".

She said that as well as battling a long-term addiction to drugs and alcohol, he also suffered from mental health problems, including a diagnosis of bipolar, and more recently been told he has bowel cancer.

‘For reasons best known only to you, you embarked on a vicious and persistent assault on him... causing significant injuries’

Passing sentence, Recorder Michael Turner told Jones he had subjected Mr Marsh to a "prolonged and persistent" attack and then inflicted "the ultimate penalty for no good reason" on his dog.

"It was an assault on a vulnerable individual in his own home,” said the judge.

“Mr Marsh was a 66-year-old hopeless heroin addict and for reasons best known only to you, you embarked on a vicious and persistent assault on him, including stamping on his head and causing significant injuries.”

Of the killing of Jack-Jack, whose breed was not stated, Recorder Turner continued: "I am prepared to accept this was a gross lapse of judgement on your part, fuelled by your drug addiction and your addled brain at the time.

"But your use of a ligature is an aggravating feature as it is effectively the use of a weapon. You used that to strangle this poor, malnourished, elderly animal to death.

"You killed it. You didn't just harm it… you inflicted upon it the ultimate penalty for no good reason."

Jones was jailed for 27 months for the assault on Mr Marsh, and handed a concurrent prison term of 19 weeks for killing the pet.

He was also given a three-year restraining order.

At the time of the incident, the offence of animal cruelty carried a maximum jail term of six months, but new legislation introduced in July has increased that penalty to five years.

Recorder Turner told Jones he was therefore "fortunate" he had committed the crime three months before the law change.

The judge added he hoped Jones continued with the progress made while in prison on remand, and that he would receive "good news" regarding his cancer.