John Royce McVicar jailed for stabbing dog and threatening mother 12 Jan, 2021 06:02 PM 3 minutes to read John Royce McVicar was jailed for 16 months. Photo / Rob Kidd, ODT Otago Daily Times By: Rob Kidd A man who stabbed his mother's dog in the neck, then threatened to do the same to her, has been jailed for 16 months. John Royce McVicar, 38, told police after the bloody incident on July 30 last year that he "wasn't in a very good state of mind". Read More Defence counsel Brendan Stephenson said that, though hard to reconcile with the events in question, his client professed his love for his mother and the dog.