'American bulldog' which attacked three people on Anglesey to be destroyed

Waterside, Holyhead
-Credit: (Image: David Powell)


An "American-bulldog" which attacked three people on three occasions causing "nasty" injuries is to be destroyed. The dog's owner, Jamie Wilson from Anglesey, claimed it was "still a pup" and "a little softie" but a judge ruled he hadn't trained it and owing to it's "temperament" it must be destroyed.

Caernarfon Crown Court heard the dog attacked the victims in January, May and July last year. An earlier hearing was told it was an "American Bulldog-type" dog called Loki.

Wilson, of Waterside, Holyhead, admitted three counts of owning a dog dangerously out of control causing injury. He was given a suspended prison sentence totalling eight months. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here

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He must also keep to a 90-day curfew and do 150 hours of unpaid work. Prosecutor Richard Edwards said the first victim was Amanda Smith.

She was invited to Wilson's block of flats to see the dog. She stroked it and moved her hand away but it bit her, causing puncture wounds.

She was treated at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor and is now nervous of dogs, the court heard. The second victim Jordan Watts had been walking across Newry fields in Holyhead and went to a shop. Outside the shop the dog, which had been attached to a hook, snapped its lead and bit him on his left arm.

Mr Watts grabbed it and threw it away but it came back and bit his chest. Wilson came out of the shop, took hold of the dog and apologised.

The third victim was Stephanie Jones. She visited Wilson and he let her in to his block of flats using the buzzer.

She went inside his flat and called the defendant's name. But as she moved a cupboard the dog bit her on her forearm.

Wilson dragged it to the bathroom. Ms Jones needed treatment at Penrhos Stanley Hospital in Holyhead where her wounds were cleaned and dressed.

She said she would think twice about walking near dogs in future, the court heard. Rosemary Proctor, defending Wilson, said: "He accepts it was as a consequence of his poor control that the complainants did come to harm."

Wilson is genuinely sorry for the injuries and has apologised sincerely to the three complainants, she said. The offences happened over a year ago and here had been an "unjustifiable delay" in bringing the case to court, she added.

Ms Proctor said her client himself is in chronic pain and has PTSD both due to a stabbing incident. She hasn't been able to glean more details but the scarring is "not a pretty sight".

He is "stagnating" in his life and "by himself without a dog he does not really pose a great deal of danger to the public," she claimed.

The judge His Honour Timothy Petts, sitting at Llandudno Magistrates Court, said Wilson's description of the dog as a "puppy" and "a little softie" is "unrealistic". He added: "Unfortunately because you have not trained the dog properly the dog has not learned how to behave and has used its natural aggression with powerful dog bites and injured people.

"It does not seem to me that you have had any real appreciation, until recently, of how serious the situation is." He imposed the suspended sentence and also a 90-day electronically-monitored curfew from 7pm until 7am.

He must do 15 days of rehabilitation activity and 35 sessions of an accredited programme. Wilson was banned from owning a dog for five years.

He must also pay the three victims £200 each in compensation. The judge ordered that the dog be destroyed.

"I don't think the dog has the temperament that it can go back into the community so I am afraid it will be a destruction order for the dog," he said.

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