MAGISTRATES struggled to decide the fate of a dog that had killed a chihuahua as it emerged its whereabouts are unknown.
Owner Dawn Housman was given a suspended jail sentence after the American Bull Terrier, named Bailey, killed the chihuahua and attacked its owner in Back Lane South on April 9, 2021.
During Housman’s sentencing on Monday, (July 4) at Worcester Crown Court the fate of the dog was also discussed but in an unusual turn of events prosecutor, Melanie Winterflood, said that embarrassingly the police did not know where the dog now was.
Miss Winterflood told the magistrates her information was that the dog had been taken by a dog rescue charity in Scotland after the incident, and before being seized by police.
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She said she had no further information, adding the dog may even have been put down as the offence had taken place more than a year ago.
Taking legal advice, magistrates were told they had to be satisfied the dog was under the ownership of a fit and proper person and not endangering public safety to not make an order for its destruction.
After deliberation, Harry Turner, chairman of the magistrates bench, said: “Because we don’t know who the owners are we can’t be satisfied.
“Therefore we order the destruction of the dog, Bailey.”
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