XL bully to be destroyed after park attack

Linda Kenney received a suspended prison sentence

A woman has been told her XL bully will be destroyed after it injured a man while out of control in a city park.

Carlisle Magistrates' Court heard Linda Kenney, 57, was "out of it" on either alcohol or drugs and did nothing as her unleashed dog Rogan ran towards Jethro Wilson and his dog on 2 December last year.

Despite Mr Wilson trying to protect his pet, it was pinned down by Rogan, which was wearing a muzzle which had partly slipped off.

Kenney, of Warnell Drive, Carlisle, admitted owning a dog which caused injury while dangerously out of control, with deputy district judge Imran Hussain giving her a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordering Rogan to be destroyed.

The attack happened near Holmacres Drive in the Harraby area of Carlisle.

The court heard Mr Wilson tried to grab Rogan's harness but later told police: "It ended up dragging me around."

He managed to clip a lead onto Rogan, but suffered injuries including bumps to his head from being bumped on the ground.

"I felt in fear for myself and my dog in case we were going to get bitten," Mr Wilson said.

Kenney was also given a 10-week night time electronically monitored curfew, and was ordered to pay £100 compensation to Mr Wilson and £1,000 towards the cost of kennelling Rogan in recent months.

'Serious harm'

The court heard other people, including a mother and child, were in the park where Rogan was also seen to pull towards another dog on the day of the attack.

When challenged by an off-duty nurse, Kenney responded by calling her names.

Despite police officers warning her not to, Kenney repeatedly left Rogan unattended with his lead locked onto a fence, and had picked him up from a kennel hours before the attack.

Before that, Rogan has been left in the care of first a 15-year-old child and then someone who was banned from keeping dogs.

The court heard Rogan was the subject of an exemption certificate for the banned breed animal, but on the condition it was kept on a lead in public and muzzled.

Adele Graham, defending, said a dog expert who assessed Rogan in a controlled setting found the animal was "balanced, stable and resilient".

The attack was an "isolated" incident, Ms Graham told the court.

But Judge Hussain said he had "serious concern" about Kenney's ability to look after dogs, and said she had tried to "victim-blame" after the attack.

He said: "I am satisfied Rogan is a danger to public safety.

"There is good reason why Parliament has said these dogs need to be controlled and our communities need to be safe.

"This legislation is there for very good reason. This breed of dog can inflict very serious harm, even death."