Australian Man Jailed for Beating 9 Puppies to Death in a Meth-Induced Frenzy

A 25-year-old Australian man, Nathan Thompson — who brutally bludgeoned to death nine puppies in March while high on meth — has been sentenced to 18 months in jail by a court in the eastern state of New South Wales.

Thompson will serve at least a year of his sentence, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports. He is also banned for life from owning animals.

The puppies were in Thompson’s care after the owner asked him to sell the young canines. He thought about taking the pups to a shelter, but opted not to because he did not have fuel for his car, according to Australian police reports. Instead he drove to bushland and killed them with bricks.

A bystander saw the attack and Thompson fled by vehicle, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

In mitigation, Thompson’s defense team said he was “not in a normal frame of mind” because he was on meth and had not slept for 72 hours.