A DRUNKEN man desperate to get his dog back from the RSPCA stormed its York animal home armed with a sawn-off air rifle and a samurai sword, a court heard.

A man who went to investigate the break-in discovered Paul Lovie standing in a darkened room holding a lit cigarette lighter and a gun, the floor apparently covered in petrol.

York Crown Court heard that 47-year-old Lovie, a pub worker, broke into the RSPCA's Landing Lane sanctuary to "bluff" workers into returning his four-year-old Jack Russell, Rosie.

But armed police were called to the scene at 8.15pm, and after a tense two-hour siege Lovie gave himself up. He was today sent to prison for 15 months.

Judge Paul Hoffman told Lovie, of Rose Street, off Haxby Road, York, that his actions were out of character, but carrying weapons could not be tolerated.

He said: "You wanted to make a protest, but you chose to do it in a thoroughly criminal way. Although you were emotionally charged, you nonetheless acted with deliberation."

He said: "There are too many incidents these days of people taking firearms out with them. Then they complain that the police shoot them. You are a lucky man to be standing in this dock."

Dianne Campbell, prosecuting, said Rosie was taken from Lovie after he asked a vet about having the dog put down. When he was told the cost he threatened to kill the dog himself with a pickaxe handle. The vet called the RSPCA, who arrived at Lovie's home two days later and seized her.

Several hours later the siege began as Lovie, who had been drinking, confronted Mark Williamson, the boyfriend of an RSPCA worker, at the home.

"He said he intended to bluff the RSPCA into releasing his dog," the prosecutor said.

During the stand-off, Lovie discharged a fire extinguisher and told police he had accelerants.

Catherine Silverton, mitigating, said these were "extremely bizarre circumstances". She added: "To say this was an out-of-character offence is an understatement of the highest order."

She said her client, a Buddhist who remarried his ex-wife two weeks ago, lost his job as a BT engineer in February and had fallen into debt.

She said Lovie, who worked at the York Arms pub in High Petergate, had a "reliance on alcohol". She added that the dog has since died in RSPCA care.

"When his dog was taken into RSPCA custody, he went on to commit this very serious, bizarre and extremely out-of-character offence," she said.

Lovie admitted possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, possessing an offensive weapon and criminal damage on February 29.

Updated: 14:20 Wednesday, May 26, 2004