Man who was dressed as a woman and tried to have sex with a dog is jailed for 12 weeks

A man who dressed as a woman while trying to have sex with a dog has been sentenced to 12 weeks in prison after being caught by a shocked member of the public.

Peter Lerwill, 30, admitted the despicable act after being initially arrested and held in custody when the shocked bystander alerted police.

The dog was taken to a vet but was fortunately unharmed and was later returned to its owner while a search was made for a bailout address where Lerwill would not have access to animals.

Officers confirmed the incident took place in Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex, where Lerwill is from.

He has also been banned from owning or controlling a dog for five years while being on the sex offender registry for the same amount of time.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: ‘Lerwill, of Western Road, Hurstpierpoint, admitted to attempting intercourse with an animal at Lewes Crown Court and was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison.

In addition to the custodial sentence, Lerwill has a five-year sentence prohibiting him from owning or owning a dog unsupervised. He will also be on the sex offender registry for five years.

The dog was taken to a vet but luckily unharmed and was later returned to its owner while a bailout address was sought where Lerwill (pictured) would not have access to animals

Lerwill was arrested after police received a report of a man dressed in women’s clothing involved in a sexual act with a dog. The dog was immediately taken to a veterinarian for an assessment and eventual care. Fortunately, he suffered no physical injuries and was returned to the owner.

Lerwill was placed in custody and remanded in custody immediately after his arrest, where he then spent a short time in prison while an address could be verified where he would not have access to animals.

He was released on parole by the courts pending trial, during which time Lerwill changed his plea to guilty.

“Forensic samples obtained during the assessment of the dog reinforced the case of sexual activity with the dog,” the spokesperson added.

Lerwill (pictured) was given a five-year ban from owning or controlling a dog, while also being placed on the sex offender registry for the same time

Lead investigator Oliver Robinson said: “This was an extremely disturbing case in which Lerwill preyed on a defenseless animal. This was also a challenging case that, as in most cases, relied on witness statements rather than the victim.

“Thanks to the informant’s prompt reporting, we were able to arrest Lerwill and complete the forensic investigation on time, which contributed to the conviction.

“This conviction means that Lerwill will be duly managed for five years by a specialized team of officers to ensure that orders issued by a court are complied with.”

In June of this year, another man Dean Beer, 56, registered that he sexually abused his pet before sending it to another person via Facebook Messenger.

But the disturbing footage was discovered when police went to his home after he received information from the National Crime Agency about uploading an indecent image.

He was imprisoned for nine months after he was described as having “an unhealthy and depraved interest in bestiality.”