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RAF LAKENHEATH, England — A former 48th Fighter Wing airman convicted in a British court of slashing his pet dog’s throat after a fight with his estranged wife has been discharged from the U.S. Air Force, authorities said.

Dustin Yandell, who served as a senior airman with the 48th Security Forces Squadron, separated from the Air Force on Dec. 22, according to an RAF Lakenheath spokesman.

He received a general discharge and returned to the States after the Air Force completed an internal review of his status.

Yandell, 22, was convicted in August of slicing his pet Labrador’s throat in March at his home in Newmarket and dumping its carcass in a recycling bin. It was found by a garbage man who reported it to authorities.

He spent between eight to 10 weeks at a British jail before he returned to the 48th Security Forces Squadron, where he served on administrative duty, according to the 48th Fighter Wing public affairs office. He was not paid by the Air Force during his incarceration.

He was also sentenced to a lifetime pet ownership ban by British magistrates.

The Clinton, Md., native served in Iraq as a combat medic and as a volunteer firefighter in Maryland, according to argument made by his civilian attorney during his sentencing hearing.

The airman made news across England with the slaughter that enraged animal rights activists. Yandell received the maximum sentence from magistrates who said he showed no remorse for the brutal killing.

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