A court in Spain has convicted a man for killing a puppy in front of his partner in a ruling that for the first time applied a gender violence law to a case of animal abuse.

A specialist gender violence court on the island of Gran Canaria found the 18-year-old guilty of throwing the four-month-old puppy the couple jointly owned off a cliff while threatening to take his own life.

It handed him a suspended sentence of one year and one day in prison, according to the ruling dated September 22 obtained by AFP on Wednesday.

"The animal's death was intentionally employed as a means to inflict psychological damage," the court said.

As a result the court said the case should be viewed "through a gender perspective" and be recognized as "vicarious violence against a companion animal" which needs "stronger punitive measures."

Acts of vicarious violence -- or violence by proxy -- usually refer to a form of gender-based abuse where a partner harms a child in order to inflict suffering on the mother.

This is the first time a Spanish court has applied legislation against vicarious violence to a case where an animal was harmed, Spain's legal watchdog, the CGPJ, said in a statement, calling it a "groundbreaking ruling."

"The death of the animal was the instrument chosen to cause psychological damage (...). This is not a mere simultaneous act, but rather a specific purpose: to kill the animal to psychologically break the woman," the judge said in the ruling, according to CGPJ.

The woman developed psychological distress requiring medical attention, according to CGPJ.

The court also barred the man from approaching or contacting the woman for two years and one day.

Spain is a pioneer in the fight against gender-based violence.

A law that entered into force in 2005 introduced a range of new support measures for women, including specialized courts, free legal assistance, emergency housing and prosecution even if the victim did not submit a complaint.

As well as gathering statistics on feminicides, the Spanish government also monitors vicarious violence.

Figures from the equality ministry show over 60 children have been murdered by their father, or by their mother's companion or ex-companion since 2013.

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