A WOMAN charged with killing her dog on Valentine’s Day by hitting him over the head with a hammer twice and stabbing him multiple times with a kitchen knife was not brought to court for sentencing on Friday morning as she remains in a secure unit.

Ebony Eve of Frobisher Drive pleaded guilty to killing the Shar Pei – called Nettles - but could not explain why she had done it when she came before magistrates sitting in Swindon two days after the offence.

The 27-year-old was remanded in custody and is currently in a medium secure service caring for people with a mental illness. She has been due to come before magistrates for sentencing on a number of occasions, but no report has so far been prepared on her for the magistrates.

On Friday she was once again due to be sentenced at Swindon Magistrates Court, but her defence Mark Glendenning told the court his client remained detained under the mental health act. He told the magistrates he had tried to meet with Eve’s doctors to receive an update on her and had been offered an appointment in July.

“The issue of her plea would need to be re-examined if she is not fit [to come before the court]," he said.

The court also heard that the probation service had been unable to meet with Eve and compile a report on her themselves as she was in the hospital, who had refused access to her.

Chairman of the bench Geoff Earl ordered that a report be prepared on Eve within the next four weeks when she is next due to attend court on June 6, during which time she remains remanded in custody.

However her attendance will be excused if she remains in the care of the mental health hospital.