A former town mayor says a "sick" man caught having sex with his horse should be castrated.

Phillip Henry was spotted with his trousers around his ankles and violating the cob inside a livery in Dover on his way home from work.

The horse belongs to town councillor Neil Rix - a former Mayor of Dover - who bought the animal for his grandchildren six years ago.

He said he found out about the incident after a distressing phone call from an employee who had been to check on the horses.

"She phoned me and she was hysterical," he explained.

"She said she checked on the ponies, like we do a couple of times each day, when she saw him.

"As she got right up to him she realised his pants were around his ankles and he was giggling.

"She screamed at him and he pulled away looking mortified.

"He ran and she chased him and we got the police involved.

"I told her to get the horse straight into the stable and called the vet, who was there within 20 minutes.

"I said to the vet 'I don't care how much it costs, I want a proper DNA sample taken'.

"Eventually they arrested him and he was charged."

Groundworker Henry pleaded guilty to beastiality at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday, having previously denied assaulting the animal.

The 34-year-old, who is now awaiting sentence, has been banned from going near “any sort of animal with a hoof” and “any stables”.

A judge told Henry his “behaviour is not the usual course of offending we see in these courts”.

The court had heard the stable-hand discovered Henry having sex with the horse in the mid-afternoon while dressed in his work clothes.

When the woman shooed Henry away he disappeared from the stables off Astley Avenue, prompting a police probe.

After veterinary swabs identified Henry’s DNA inside the horse’s vagina he was soon arrested, with DC Jordan from the vulnerability team leading the investigation.

"He's scum and needs locking up with the key chucked away..."

Henry would go on to deny beastiality, claiming at the same court that he dispatched his semen inside the field, where the cob - a type of horse that can weigh up to 50 stone - inadvertently became contaminated.

But he later pleaded guilty to intentionally having sex with a living animal, namely a horse, which carries a maximum sentence of two years.

Ordering pre-sentence reports, Recorder Bernard Richmond KC told Henry: "The judge dealing with you, because it will not be me, will need to know all about you, in particular what motivated you to do this almost unbelievable piece of behaviour.

“I have to say, the fact that I’m adjourning this doesn’t mean the judge won’t pass a prison sentence.

“The judge will need to know why this happened - what was going on in your head?”

Granting conditional bail, he added: “You are not to go near any sort of animal with a hoof.

“Be safe, keep away from all animals, that is not part of your order, that is a hint - off you go.”

Henry is banned from attending any stable or place where equine animals are permanently housed, or have any unsupervised contact with horses.

John O’Connor, defending, said Henry, of Aukland Crescent, had a previous conviction for sexual assault against a female.

“He was very reticent about what happened, and about himself today (during conference) - the court would be greatly assisted by an experienced probation officer,” he added.

Henry, who was supported by his father and wore a grey jacket in court, will be sentenced on March 17.

He also admitted to possessing a quantity of cannabis following the attack in July last year.

Cllr Rix believes Henry should be put behind bars.

"It's unbelievable," he said.

"He's a sick b****** who deserves to be castrated. It's horrendous.

"At the end of the day he has done the right thing by pleading guilty.

"He's scum and needs locking up with the key chucked away.

"I'm thankful an adult caught him, not one of my grandchildren."