Appeal for witnesses to incident involving two men and a dog in Newport

We’re appealing for witnesses to an incident in Newport town centre this morning (Friday 13 September).

Police received reports of two men, who were in possession of a small terrier-type dog, acting in a drunk and disorderly manner and being abusive to members of the public.

This occurred at around 9.20am in the town centre, in the areas surrounding Orchard Street and St James Street.

Officers attended and arrested two men, in addition to taking control of a dog and taking it to a place of safety.

A 39-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly in a public place, and using threatening or abusive words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

A 58-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

Both men remain in custody at this time.

Police have been following up enquiries today including reviewing CCTV in the area. We are also aware of active commentary online from the community about this incident.

We are keen to hear from anyone who directly witnessed what happened so we can establish the facts around what has taken place.

If you have witnessed this incident, please contact police on 101, quoting 44240393173. You can also submit information to us online here: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/

Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their anonymous online form at crimestoppers-uk.org