A 14-YEAR-OLD boy who slaughtered a family's pet rabbit and laid it on the doorstep of their home has appeared in court.

The Melksham teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before magistrates at West Wiltshire Youth Court in Chippenham on Tuesday, May 7.

Admitting charges of animal cruelty, criminal damage and witness intimidation at an earlier court appearance, the teenager will undergo psychiatric tests before being sentenced.

The rabbit was found on the front doorstep of a house last month. It had been strangled and hit against a wall.

The teenager will reappear before magistrates at Chippenham on May 28.