A young British man who admitted to having sexual intercourse with a goat last April was sentenced to six weeks in prison on Thursday, local media outlets reported.
Robert Newman, 23, who launched the nighttime attack on the animal in a barn in Devizes Wiltshire, initially denied a charge of having sex with a living animal between, but he later changed his plea and admitted the attack.
Related stories:
- PETA appalled by photos of Iranian space monkey
- Animal rights activists protest Jewish custom
- Severed animal heads found in Tel Aviv
The BBC reported that at the time of the attack Newman was the subject of an eight-week suspended sentence for a burglary in August last year.
North West Wiltshire Magistrates' Court in Chippenham was told the goat required veterinary treatment for injuries sustained during the assault.
Anna Humphreys, prosecuting, read a victim impact statement on behalf of the goat's owner - who was not named in court.
It read: "This person has cost us a considerable amount of money because we have had to install security cameras.
"We have also had to pay for vet's fees and antibiotics for the injuries sustained by the goat."
Anne Ellery, the defense attorney, told the court Newman's actions were a "symptom of isolation rather than depravity."
"His delay in admitting the behavior is because of the embarrassment and shame that went with it," she added.
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop