Three garage workers have been convicted of animal cruelty after blasting a rat out of an air compressor pipe like a cannonball.
Shaun Fussell, 29, Lee Jones, 42, and William Morgan, 36, were filmed giggling as they fired the animal over the roof of a neighbouring building.
The men stuffed the rodent into a metal pole using a pair of pliers before blasting it into the air with a compressor.
The footage, captured at a tyre fitting shop in South Wales, was posted to Facebook and was later brought to the attention of the RSPCA.
The three men pleaded guilty to jointly causing unnecessary suffering to a rat at Merthyr Magistrates’ Court and were each sentenced to a 12-month community order which requires them to carry out 180 unpaid hours.
RSPCA inspector, Gemma Cooper said: “This was such a horrific case where this rat suffered unnecessarily.
“Even though some people see rats as vermin they are still protected by law in certain circumstances.
“They are still living creatures that feel fear and pain.”