Dog-owner is both victim and defendant in her own trial as she is fined for being injured by her own pet

A dog-owner was both victim and defendant in her own trial when she was fined for being injured by her own pet.

Irina Zureiqi, 45, was left covered in cuts and bruises after she tried to break up a fight between her Staffordshire bull terrier and another dog, and was dragged through a field.

She was left with injuries to her legs and face from being pulled along the ground as she clung on to her dog's lead.

Zureiqi's defence lawyer, Chiddy Umez said: "This is a bizarre case in that the victim is also the defendant.

"The prosecution has tried turning on the victim even though she is the only one who can say what she experienced.

"The law is to stop dogs biting people - it is not an offence for dogs to fight each other.

"No witnesses said they saw Jack cause injury to a person."

Zureiqi, who lives in East Brabourne, Kent, denied but was convicted of being out of control of the dog at Canterbury Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

She was fined and ordered to keep the animal muzzled if she wanted to save it from destruction.

Zureiqi had just finished walking Jack and her Great Dane Angelina when they met another dog called Oscar in a park near her home, in November 2016.

Holding her pets on a lead, she was then dragged along the ground as Jack rushed forward and grabbed hold of Oscar's ear.

The 45-year-old told the court: "We had finished the walk and I put the dogs on the lead and made them sit.

"I was cleaning mud off my shoe when suddenly I was pulled by Angelina - Jack had to move as well because they were on one lead.

"I was being dragged along - I tensed up to make myself heavier and harder to pull.

"Numerous times I tried to prevent the encounter - I shouted to the other dog walker about five times as I was on the ground."

Prosecutor Alban Brahimi said Zureiqi was trying to place all of the blame on her Great Dane rather than Jack.

He said: "Five times you shouted 'run' to the other dog walker and let strangers put rope around Jack's head to choke him, allowed him to be smacked and have water thrown over him.

"In this case, the dog was so dangerous and out of control it has caused its own owner injury."

Magistrates ordered Zureiqi pay a £770 fine and set a contingent destruction order where Jack must be muzzled and kept on a lead while in public otherwise he will be put down.

Angelina has been rehomed since the incident, while Jack is now back home living with Zureiqi.

She added: "Jack didn't cause me these injuries, I didn't let go of the lead and chose to be dragged so it is self-inflicted."