Four Egyptian men were sentenced to three years in prison with labour for torturing and slaughtering a dog, among other charges related to the incident which was caught on camera and stirred widespread outrage.

The graphic video which circulated on social media shows a brown dog leashed to a pole, before three attackers strike it with machetes and sticks until it dies.

The incident took place in Qalioubiya governorate's Shubra El-Khayma district last month.

Three men, aged 28, 29 and 32 – two of whom are butchers by trade – were present in court for the verdict.

The fourth defendant, who was the owner of the dog, was sentenced in absentia.

The dog, named Max, was killed as part of a deal with its owners to settle the score after it bit several men in a fight, including one of the three attackers appearing in the video.

Apart from killing the dog, defendants were found guilty of possessing bladed weapons and terrorising the public. The ruling can be appealed.

According to Egypt's penal law, anyone who intentionally kills a pet owned by someone else could face up to 6 months in jail.

Egyptian animal rights advocacy groups condemned the incident and held a demonstration in downtown Cairo last week calling for the punishment of the perpetrators.