An Irvine man has been found guilty of kicking four dogs, punching a woman in front of her eight-year-old niece, making racist comments, and assaulting a man.

Christopher Thomas Galloway, 58, of Irvine’s Dalmore Way, hit a woman so hard in the mouth that he chipped her tooth, resulting in her having to undergo £40 worth of dental work.

He also called another woman “a P*** bitch” because she was wearing fake tan.

Galloway appeared from custody at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week for trial on 12 charges.

On January 1 at Springfield Gardens in Irvine, Galloway kicked a golden retriever, which he claimed had bitten his dog Tash.

He then repeatedly punched the retriever’s owner on the head, breaking his glasses.

Galloway claimed that the golden retriever clamped its jaw round his springer spaniel and that he kicked it so it would release its grip, adding: “I wouldn’t kick a dog for no reason.”

When Galloway claimed that his dog was “badly injured” and “bleeding from two holes”, the fiscal said: “That’s not true.”

Referring to his assault on the witness, Galloway said: “My dog being hurt made me angry.

I did overreact, yes. I punched him once and I probably hit him twice more.”

Galloway struck again on January 27 at Eglinton Country Park when he tried to punch a woman and kicked her dog.

He also shouted and swore at her, raised his hand in a clenched fist and called her “a P*** bitch”, all of which he denied.

He said: “Why would I call her that when she was white? I called her a ‘stupid bitch’.

I’m telling the truth 100 per cent. “I wouldn’t punch a woman on purpose. I never have.”

The court also heard that on February 13, a young woman was walking her two Jack Russells in Eglinton Park when she encountered Galloway.

She was with her mother and sister, and her sister’s eight-year-old daughter and springer spaniel.

The witness told the court that the three dogs ran towards Galloway’s dog to play.

At that point the younger Jack Russell barked and Galloway kicked him on the head.

The woman confronted Galloway, and her sister tried to take his photograph with her phone so they could show the police.

Galloway punched the woman on the mouth, causing bruising and swelling to her lip, and chipping her tooth.

He also threatened to phone a vet and get the three dogs put down. Galloway then kicked the woman’s sister’s dog, also on the head.

Describing Galloway’s demeanour as “angry”, the woman’s sibling told the court that he had “erupted”.

She added: “He just turned round and punched my sister straight in the face. My sister just stumbled back a bit. I think she was in shock and my daughter started crying. My daughter was very upset by it.”

Galloway admitted that he “might have caught her by mistake”, adding: “They were going mad and they were shouting. They were right in my face with the phone.

“My natural reaction was raising my hand to stop my photograph getting taken and if I’ve hurt her then I’m really sorry.”

But Sheriff David Hall found Galloway guilty of nine out of the 12 charges.

Sentence was deferred for reports and Galloway was granted bail with the special condition that he does not walk his dog.

Sheriff Hall warned: “You do not walk your dog Tash anywhere. You have plenty of people in your family who could do it. You do not walk the dog.”