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Chain saw dog killer dies in car crash

The man who caused a countrywide uproar when he decapitated a Husky puppy using a chain saw , died in a car accident at the weekend.

The man who caused a countrywide uproar when he decapitated a Husky puppy using a chain saw , died in a car accident at the weekend.

Phillip Matthysen, 31, rolled his vehicle in the early hours of Sunday morning on the R50 road to Delmas, near Rietfontein, Beeld newspaper reports. He died on the scene.

Sergeant Marinda Scholtz said Matthysen was apparently en route to his smallholding in Sundra, Mpumalanga, when his black Toyota Land Cruiser overturned and he was thrown out.

Stoltz said workers on nearby farms heard a loud noise at about 4am, but were too afraid to investigate.

"A passing motorist spotted the wreck at about 7am and police were summoned," Stoltz said.

She said Matthysen was already dead when the police and paramedics arrived.

"There were no witnesses. We're not sure if a tyre burst or if the deceased lost control of the vehicle, but he was thrown out of the car when it rolled several times," Stoltz said.

Prince Mbiza of the Mpumalanga emergency services was one of the first paramedics on the scene.

He said Matthysen had clearly died as a result of "massive head injuries". A postmortem will be held to determine the exact cause of death.

Matthysen, a marketing consultant , caused an uproar in June when he used a chain saw to behead his still-living Siberian Husky.

He had admitted using a petrol-driven chain saw to behead the puppy in "a fit of fury" after the four-month-old dog had killed an exotic parrot.

He was sentenced in July to 12 months in jail or a fine of R10000 for animal abuse.

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