Recent Cases

R v M

M was charged with having a dog dangerously out of control. The allegation involved the defendants Rottweiler biting a seven-year-old boy who was playing at his house with his sons.

Unfortunately the victim required numerous stitches and risked being scarred for life although the injuries were not life threatening.

The defendant accepted he owned the dog and that it caused the injuries to the victim, and entered a guilty plea.

The case was adjourned for pre-sentence reports. Much work was done to provide the best mitigation possible including arranging for the dog to be seen by a canine behavioural specialist, the defendant attending dog training classes and obtaining numerous references on behalf of both the defendant and the dog.

At the sentence hearing the defendant was ordered to complete a community order, pay the aggrieved compensation and keep the dog under control. There was no destruction order made despite the serious nature of the incident.