A dog who tore a chunk out of a man’s lip with its teeth while off the lead in a Carlisle communal garden has been spared a death sentence.
The city’s magistrates’ court heard details of an incident which occurred on Rydal Street, at around 6.30pm, on April 3 last year.
At that time, 33-year-old Steven Marriott had been looking after the brown and white Staffy cross-breed named Roulette, on behalf of a friend, for an extended period of time.
Marriott was with another man, Mark Ferguson in communal gardens at Rydal Street.
“Mr Ferguson bent down to pick something up from the floor,” George Shelley, prosecuting, told the court.
“The dog has run up to him whilst off the lead and bitten him to the face, causing quite a significant injury to his lip. It resulted in a chunk of flesh being taken out of the lip by the dog.”
Photographs showed a piece of flesh missing from the victim’s bottom lip. Dog bite marks were visible on his cheek.
During hospital treatment, the bite was cleaned. Mr Ferguson was given a tetanus injection and also antibiotics. He was given a further hospital appointment the following morning with a facial specialist for the wound to be stitched.
Marriott was prosecuted and when brought to court he admitted being in charge of a dog which caused injury while dangerously out of control.
Roulette had been returned to its owner less than a week after the incident. The owner had been made aware that one option for the court was to order destruction of the animal.
Marriott informed district judge Philip Holden that, in April last year, he had been looking after Roulette for the owner — who had other dogs — for around three years.
“I’m speechless,” said Marriott, referring to the incident which had landed him in court.
“I wish Roulette didn’t bite Mark Ferguson. “It was out of the blue. When I had her she was calm, great around kids. I would walk her off the lead.
“I just don’t understand it really, to be honest. I am really sorry for what happened. I wish I could turn back time.”
District judge Holden imposed a 12-month community order. Marriott, of Spencer Street, Carlisle, must complete 80 hours’ unpaid work and pay court costs.
He told Marriott: “This was a serious incident in which a serious injury was caused to the lip.
“I have seen some quite distressing photographs of quite a nasty injury.”
The judge concluded that the dog should not be destroyed.
He instead imposed a contingent destruction order which has a number of conditions attached.
These include the legal requirement for Roulette to be fitted with a secure box muzzle while in public; the dog must not be walked on an extendable lead greater than 1.6 metres; must not be walked by anyone aged under 16; must be secured in a crate or placed in a different room prior to visitors attending the owner’s address; and must not be sold, abandoned or gifted away.
