”It was very sadistically done,” said Annika Oljeqvist, of the south Stockholm police, who has been handling the case, to TV4 News.

The puppy was discovered by a pre-school class in March this year. While playing in a wooded area outside the school, the children found a black bin bag, oozing blood.

Police later found a dead fighting dog puppy in the bag and took it to a nearby animal hospital.

When the vet opened the bag it was established that the little puppy had been badly beaten.

The prosecutor is arguing for the strongest possible punishment for the man who has admitted torturing the puppy to death.

”If a human had been killed in a similar way the prosecutor would have demanded 18 years or life in prison,” said Oljeqvist.

”It is very uncommon for the prosecutor to demand the maximum penalty for cruelty to animals, as far as I know it doesn’t happen very often,” said Karin Solberg, press officer at the southern Stockholm policeto TV4 .

The maximum penalty for cruelty to animals in Sweden is two years in prison.