LEADING politicians from the region have called for tougher sentences for animal cruelty after two men who brutally attacked a dog were allowed to walk free.

There has been criticism of the sentence given to Andrew Frankish, 22, from Redcar, who was convicted of repeatedly throwing his dog, Baby, down the stairs, swinging her around and stamping on her.

It was filmed on a mobile phone by a younger man who was 16-years-old at the time. The pair were sentenced at Hartlepool Magistrates Court to 21 weeks in prison which was suspended for two years.

An online petition calling for the pair to be jailed has had more than 155,000 signatures and at one point a police officer was sent to their Redcar house to ensure their safety.

The abuse of the dog happened in October 2013 but the crime did not come to light until the mobile phone memory card was found on a supermarket floor.

Baby lost the use of her hind legs and had to be put down three months later.

Now Labour MP for Redcar, Anna Turley, Labour, has written to the Justice Minister Michael Gove MP, requesting an urgent review of sentencing for animal cruelty crimes after the brutal attack on Bulldog ‘Baby’ in Redcar.

She said: “I am disgusted by these actions. Lots of my constituents have contacted me expressing their horror at this cruel attack and the disbelief that the perpetrators have avoided jail. My fear is that the leniency of their sentencing will send a message to the brothers and other animal abusers that law enforcement is indifference to animal welfare which is why I have written the Minister asking for sentencing practises to be reviewed.

"We cannot allow other animals to suffer in the way Baby did.”

Jonathan Arnott, UKIP's Member of the European Parliament, added his voice to the calls for tougher sentences. He said: "What more barbaric suffering does someone have to inflict on an animal before they are sent straight to jail?"