Eddie Stanlund, a guest at his friend, Max Summerville's 60th birthday party, picked up a five-week-old border collie and dropped it in a drum glowing with hot coal. The guests were sitting around the drum, warming themselves.

The pup had been a gift from a neighbour.

The 40-year-old Stanlund, a father of three, pleaded not guilty, saying he was drunk and stumbled, losing his grip on the animal.

However, magistrate Kim Pogson rejected alcohol as an excuse. She described the act as a "callous brutal act".

Officials of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) said they were delighted by the verdict.

"For too long people charged with aggravated cruelty have been simply fined or placed on bonds," Scott Allerton, an RSPCA inspector, said today.

"Perhaps this will send a clear message to others that this sort of behaviour won't betolerated," he added.

Stanlund has appealed the verdict.