Brandon Robb, 28, of Fife, was sentenced at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court after admitting a catalogue of wildlife offences.

Footage retrieved from his phones showed the two lurcher dogs being encouraged to hunt and attack deer, rabbits, hares, a fox cub and wild birds, as well as a domestic cat, over the course of 20 separate incidents.

After filming these incidents, Robb then uploaded some of the footage to social media.

Iain Batho, who leads on wildlife crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: “It is highly important to preserve Scotland’s natural heritage, including the wildlife that forms part of it. As such, wild animals are given strict protection by our law.

“Brandon Robb’s actions had no purpose or motive other than to fulfil his own desire to inflict pain and suffering on innocent animals. The shocking cruelty, quantity and frequency of these incidents will inevitably have had a detrimental effect on the local wildlife population.

“COPFS takes the prosecution of wildlife crime extremely seriously and prosecutorial action will be taken if there is sufficient evidence, if it is appropriate and in the public interest to do so.”

Robb’s offending took place between August and November 2022 in woods and farmland in Fife and Kinross usually under cover of darkness.

Some of the phone footage seen by the court showed him instructing his dogs to attack animals.

In one scene, he held up the bloodied body of a domestic cat which had been attacked by the dogs.

A vet who analysed the video suggested the cat may have gone into cardiac arrest or suffered a brain injury. He said the cat’s eyes showed it had suffered a haemorrhage and its breathing was likely the result of “extreme stress”.

Robb’s crimes became known after a member of the public saw him highlighting the footage on social media and it was eventually reported to Police Scotland.

Officers later arrested Robb after a search of his home recovered items that included a number of mobile phones, two torches, a pair of binoculars and a scope, a spot lamp and a hunting knife.

He was also convicted of assaulting one of the officers during his arrest.

Constable Ben Pacholek, wildlife crime officer at Police Scotland, said: “This was a complex investigation made harder by the fact that the majority of these offences were filmed on his phone and carried out at night on farmland and wooded areas, making it difficult to identify precise locations.

“Through dedicated police work, the investigation team was able to show that Robb was responsible for his dogs causing unprecedented suffering over several weeks.

“He boasted about the prowess of his dogs and gloried in the suffering of the animals he ordered them to harm. His actions were despicable.”