Man pleads not guilty after XL bully attack

Farhat Ajaz has pleaded not guilty to three counts of being in charge of a dangerously out of control dog which caused injury

A man has denied being responsible for an American XL bully dog that caused injuries to an 11-year-old girl and two men.

The girl suffered suffered shoulder and arm injuries in the incident in Bordesley Green, Birmingham, on 9 September.

At a hearing at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Monday, Farhat Ajaz, 61, from Bordesley Green, pleaded not guilty to three counts of being in charge of a dangerously out of control dog which caused injury and was granted conditional bail.

He was ordered to appear at the city's crown court next month.

Adjourning the case against Mr Ajaz, District Judge David Wain told him: "I am imposing a condition of residence that you reside at the address you have given to the court.

"Secondly, you are not to be in possession or in control of any dog."

Mr Ajaz, who appeared in court beside the dock using a pair of crutches to support himself, was bailed until the next hearing, scheduled for 25 March.

West Midlands Police has said the dog remains in secure kennels.

It has previously been confirmed by police to be an American XL bully crossed with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

American XL bullies were added to the banned breeds list on 31 October, after a spate of fatal attacks, including one on 52-year-old Ian Price in Stonnall near Walsall.