Woman jailed for assaulting people during dog attack

Seren Lloyd was sented at Bishop Street courthouse on Friday

A woman who admitted assaulting three people as they tried to stop her pit bull-type dog killing another dog has been jailed.

Seren Lloyd, from Strand Road in Londonderry, admitted three assaults and a charge of disorderly behaviour relating to the dog attack.

Sentencing at Londonderry Magistrates' Court on Friday, a district judge described the incident as “absolutely and utterly disgraceful”.

Judge Barney McElholm jailed 23-year-old Lloyd for seven months.

The court heard police were called to the Clon Elagh area of Derry on 4 August 2023 after the defendant's dog attacked a smaller dog.

Lloyd, the court was told, behaved aggressively towards the woman walking the smaller dog.

A taxi driver who tried to intervene was punched by a man who was with Lloyd.

The taxi driver was also pushed by Lloyd and was taken to hospital with cuts on his head.

The court was told the woman whose smaller dog was being attacked phoned her father and was “crying hysterically”.

'Not a good report'

When her father arrived, the pit bull still had the smaller dog by the neck.

As he tried to separate the animals he was attacked by the man who was with Lloyd, while Lloyd swung a chain-like dog lead at his head and was verbally aggressive.

The court heard the pit bull was later put down.

A defence barrister said Lloyd was remorseful, had been drinking on the day of the incident and had reacted when she saw someone punching at her dog.

The barrister said the man she was with had been the main protagonist in the incident.

Judge McElholm told the court a pre-sentence report “was not a good report”.

He said instead of trying to stop their dog attacking a smaller dog, Lloyd and the man were aggressive towards members of the public.