Family told pay €15k or dog will be ‘hanged from a tree'

A man has threatened to hang a family pet “from the nearest tree” unless the animal’s distraught owners hand over €15,000.

Finn, a pedigree boxer dog, belongs to Joy Brochert and her family from Ballybay, Co Monaghan, and went missing on December 7.

As Christmas closed in the family offered a reward of €5,000, on a Facebook page called Bring Finn Home, run by family friend Debbie Gough, but heard nothing until the cruel call yesterday.