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Wirral thug who accused ex of killing cat admitted 'I might have killed a dog'

Experts said the injuries suggested the dogs legs might have been pulled apart with a great deal of force

[Stefan McCormick, whose criminal record includes killing a puppy]

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Stefan McCormick, whose criminal record includes killing a puppy(Image: Liverpool Echo)

A man who called his ex-girlfriend a "dirty little cat killing c***" in a drunken rage was once himself jailed for killing a puppy. Stefan McCormick, 35, blamed his former partner for the death of their cat, which she had rehomed after their relationship broke down.

During his tirade, which took place over an 18-hour period on December 29 2024, McCormick told his ex-girlfriend: "I might have killed a dog but I didn't kill you."

At Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, August 14, prosecutor Helen Chenery said: "[She] made it known to McCormick that the cat had died on December 29. Over a period of 18 hours, from midday to 5am, he sent her 37 voice notes, all of which the prosecution say are extremely abusive, some of which are threatening.

"The majority of the messages are to do with the cat. He repeatedly accuses her of either directly or indirectly being responsible for the cat's death. He calls her 'a dirty cat killing c***, all you want to do is kill cats'."

McCormick, of Woodchurch Lane in Prenton, pleaded guilty to sending electronic communications with the intent to cause fear, distress, or anxiety.

It was not the first time McCormick had appeared in court for a case involving animals. In August 2014, he pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to his four-month-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier after attacking the puppy so violently it had to be put down.

McCormick initially claimed his dog, called Ty, had been hit by a car. But experts said the injuries suggested the dogs legs might have been pulled apart with a great deal of force, or that it may have been "picked up by the front legs and swung against a solid object.

[RSPCA picture Ty, the puppy who was put down after being injured by Stefan McCormick]

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RSPCA picture Ty, the puppy who was put down after being injured by Stefan McCormick

McCormick was jailed for 24 weeks in October 2014. The sentence was ordered to run consecutively with a 20-month prison term he was already serving for battering his teenage girlfriend.

McCormick, who was 23 at the time, was on bail for the brutal attack on Ty when he breached a non-molestation order and attacked the 17-year-old girl, who had recently given birth to McCormick's child.

He punched, kicked and dragged the girl along the street after reportedly spending 400 in an all-day boozing session in Wirral.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the thug had been served with the non-molestation order after previous reports of assaults against his former partner, but later claimed to have thrown it in the bin.

The couple stayed in contact following the birth of their son in June 2014, and went on a drinking session around Meols and Hoylake in September. While visiting Wetherspoons in Grange Road, Hoylake, he became "aggressive and argumentative" and attacked the girl outside.

McCormick admitted common assault and breaching the non-molestation order. While serving time, he appealed his sentences and had his prison term reduced by four weeks after magistrates heard he suffered from mental health problems and had never been in prison before.

[Stefan McCormick leaving Liverpool Crown Court]

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Stefan McCormick leaving Liverpool Crown Court(Image: Liverpool Echo)

He was put back behind bars in 2017, when he received a 17 month sentence for wounding.

In June 2018, he was in trouble with the law again after his friend, convicted sex offender Alexander Seddon, demanded free drinks from San Carlo on Castle Street and threatened to "smash up" the restaurant.

Seddon was jailed for 11 months, while McCormick (who was on licence at the time) and another friend, Michael Heggarty, were spared immediate custody.

In April 2020, he was sent to prison again after verbally abusing medics at Arrowe Park Hospital and throwing a bloodied tissue at a security guard in the middle of Covid-19 lockdown.

He became abusive when hospital staff wouldn't let his girlfriend accompany him because of Covid-19 precautions. He shouted at nurses, telling them he hoped they caught the deadly disease, and called a female security officer a "b****" and a "s***".

[A mugshot of Stefan McCormick circa 2020]

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A mugshot of Stefan McCormick circa 2020

He admitted intentionally causing harassment, assaulting an emergency worker and breaching the suspended sentence he had received for the affray at San Carlo two years before. He was sentenced to a total of 10 months, including six months of the suspended prison term.

In court on Friday, audio footage of McCormick's messages to his ex-partner, sent on December 29 2024, were played.

He said: "I don't want no one getting hurt but what I want, what I want, what I want at the end of the day, you and all of your family, you've got to remember it's you, you killed Cleo, you dirty c***.

"I didn't kill her, you did. I didn't kill you. I might have killed a dog, but I didn't kill you.

"You killed a cat, the one that you're meant to love, you horrible dirty little c***.

"Youse all need to be worried because I'm going, I'm coming out out of the woodwork for that cat, you c***s. F*** the police. You can go to the police as much as you f***ing want. I didn't give a flying f*** because when I'm behind bars it's not just me. It's not just me that wants it."

[Stefan McCormick leaves Wirral Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal]

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Stefan McCormick leaves Wirral Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal

David Polglase, defending, said: "The defendant is 35; he's therefore still a young man and he clearly has a different side from what your honour has heard on that recording."

Asking the recorder to step back from a sentence of immediate prison time, he said: "He's not been taking drugs for some considerable period of time now. There is personal mitigation. The court has seen his medical history. Fortunately he's now in remission from the cancer he suffers from.

"There are still difficulties in mental health and there's personal and family trauma set out."

The Recorder sentenced McCormick to seven months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and 15 rehabilitation days. She also made a restraining order banning him from contacting his former partner for five years.

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