A WARRANT has been issued for the arrest of a man charged with animal cruelty offences.

Jamie Hill, of Cecil Road in Boscombe, was due to appear at Poole Magistrates' Court on Friday charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.

However, he did not attend in time for the hearing and a warrant was issued.

Hill, 39, was charged after a dog was allegedly thrown against a wall before being kicked and hit in the beer garden of Winton's Buffalo Bar on Sunday, April 14.

Police claim the incident happened at around 6.55pm when the bar was in Woodend Road. It has since relocated.

At the time, officers said they were able to find the dog's owners and "safely" return it to them. The dog didn't suffer any lasting physical injuries, police say.