A councillor who was filmed lifting his dog by the scruff of her neck at a children's park has refused to resign, claiming 'we all make mistakes'.
In footage posted online, Salisbury City Council leader Samuel Charleston can be seen allegedly grabbing his pup by the neck as she hangs in the air.
The incident reportedly occurred at around 3pm on Saturday near Old Sarum Castle, a deserted site of the earliest settlement of the Wiltshire city.
Mr Charleston, the Liberal Democrat councillor for St Paul's ward, has sparked fury - with locals branding him a 'coward' over the incident.
A Facebook user who posted the footage in a local community group wrote: 'We [saw] a man whose dog wasn't listening to his recall, so he approached his dog...then the man proceeded to grab the adult dog by [her] scruff and walk across the field...
'A few of us told him to stop (just put your dog down, put it on a lead). He was getting defensive and started waving the dog about by [her] scruff and said "it's just a dog".
'He had young children with him and we were disgusted to see how he treated his family pet in front of his children.'
Residents responded with anger, with one saying: 'He is clearly distressing the poor dog. I invite him to my house so that I can teach him respect for animals and other people.'
Pictured: The moment councillor Samuel Charleston picked his dog up by the scruff of the neck, prompting members of the public to intervene
Another wrote: 'How would you like to be carried about like that? If you wouldn't like it don't do it to your dog!'
Wiltshire999s reports that Mr Charleston said his dog is 'very happy and healthy', adding that he is 'not intentionally doing anything to hurt her'.
He said she is coming out of season and that while she had 'mostly been fine' on the afternoon dog walk, he was 'concerned that if she wasn’t coming back that perhaps it's not as finished as it might be', which is why he went over and picked her up.
Mr Charleston told the Daily Mail he had 'learned' his 'lesson' over the incident and that he 'never intended to hurt the dog'.
But he said the response of locals was 'disproportionate', claiming residents had called for him to be 'lynched' and 'strung up from a tree', which has made him fear for his family's safety.
The council leader has spoken to Wiltshire Police to report concerns about threats of abuse.
Mr Charleston told this newspaper: 'It's fair [to say] that we are all learning that picking up a dog by the scruff is not something that is the right thing to do.
'It was an action borne out of ignorance, not malice. I never intended to hurt the dog.'
Mr Charleston said he accepts that 'what I did was not the right thing to do'
Mr Charleston said the 'immediate response' from bystanders was to 'become aggressive', claiming they began 'shouting and swearing' - which made him concerned for his children.
'My only thought was to stop the swearing at and around my children,' he said, adding that they were in 'floods of tears' over the incident.
He said: 'It was a very, very short clip which was taken out of context without the shouting and swearing.
'We all make mistakes, learn and move forward from them. I do accept that what I did was not the right thing to do. It was not the right way to pick up a dog.'
He added that he has 'not considered' resigning over the incident.
The councillor also denied saying 'it's only a dog' when confronted by members of the public and from the footage it is unclear who said it.
The Daily Mail has approached Salisbury City Council and the Liberal Democrats for comment.
