A man has been charged following an animal cruelty report.

Police were informed of an incident that took place on Brookfield Road, Fratton, on 21 January in which it’s alleged a man punched and kicked a dog.

Police know this incident has caused a lot of concern in the community, and we want to update you that we have investigated this report alongside the RSPCA, and 29-year-old Ashley George Bedford, of Liverpool Road in Fratton, has been charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.

He has been bailed and will appear at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on 7 February.