Deputy council boss fined for out of control dogs

Ashfield District Council's deputy leader Thomas Hollis appeared at Mansfield Magistrates' Court on Tuesday

A deputy council leader has been ordered to pay more than £1,800 in court after admitting being in charge of dangerously out of control dogs.

Thomas Hollis, deputy leader of Ashfield District Council in Nottinghamshire, appeared at Mansfield Magistrates' Court on Tuesday charged with three counts of being in charge of a dangerously out of control dog in Huthwaite, where he lives, on 12 December 2024.

The 32-year-old, of Yew Tree Close, also pleaded guilty to resisting a constable in the execution of his duty at his home address on 9 January.

He was ordered pay a fine and costs totalling £1,813.

The dangerous dog charges related to two Rottweilers, a spaniel cross and an unknown breed - now all under a contingent destruction order, which means they could be destroyed if they are not kept under proper control.

Ashfield District Council has a public spaces protection order that covers a number of rules around dogs.

Those rules include requiring dogs to be on leads in specific areas, excluding dogs from some spaces and requiring a person to put their dog on a lead when asked to by an authorised officer.

Hollis, of the Ashfield Independents party and a former Nottinghamshire County councillor, was ordered to pay a fine of £520 plus £1,000 in compensation, a victim surcharge amounting to £208 and £85 in court costs.

The deputy leader was convicted of careless driving in September 2022, a day after being found guilty for harassing his neighbours during the Coronavirus lockdown.

He was removed from his position at the time but did not resign, and was later returned to the post.

In February 2024, Hollis was fined at Nottingham Magistrates' Court for failing to declare a financial interest.