Australian jailed for killing nine puppies with brick

SYDNEY - An Australian man was jailed on Monday for 18 months on animal cruelty charges after bludgeoning nine puppies to death with a brick while high on drugs.

Nathan Thompson, 25, pleaded guilty to the horrific deaths at Kurri Kurri, 150km north of Sydney, in March, with one witness describing the scene as "a massacre".

Only one puppy from the group survived, now named Lucky.

The puppies were initially offered for sale on the Internet by their owner. When no one bought them, he took them to Thompson, who had previously had success in selling dogs.

The court heard that Thompson instead chose to kill them, driving to some bushland where he beat them to death.

Thompson was also banned from animal ownership for life.