Peter Grant, 19, of Wilburton, Cambridgeshire, who admitted cruelty, was sentenced to 100 hours' community service by Ely magistrates on Tuesday.

A vet said the injuries were likely to have caused extreme pain.

Counsel for Grant said he had nothing to do with the bleach and had hit the rabbit to "put it out of its misery".

'Short-lived incident'

Melanie Benn said: "He doesn't take any pride or find it funny. He regrets he didn't step in to prevent further trauma. But his perspective was that he was putting an animal out of its misery."

She also said it was a relatively short-lived incident at the party in Ely on 25 July last year and that Grant was not the main perpetrator.

Michael Taylor, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said Grant and a friend were playing with cans and lighters and claimed they accidentally singed the facial hair of Lucky - a lop-eared male rabbit.

Another party-goer then put Lucky in a mop bucket of water and bleach. The rabbit was then hit with a metal pole several times before Grant used a bottle to hit it over the head.