A JUDGE HAS told a dog owner who set two large dogs on a woman that he cannot in the future own any dogs bigger than a terrier.

After a trial last month a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court convicted Daniel Molloy (28) with an address at Kevin Barry House, Dublin, of assaulting Ellen Colgan causing her harm on Eccles Street, Dublin. Molloy had denied the charge.

The trial heard that on 17 December 2017, Colgan was out walking her two dogs when she passed Molloy pushing a trolley and walking three dogs. She told the trial that the man seemed to be getting dragged towards her by the animals.

She asked the man if he was “ok” to hold onto the dogs and said he replied: “Go away you stupid bitch or I’ll let them eat you.” She told the man there was no need to be childish and she walked on.

Colgan said that the man came behind her with the dogs before he and the dogs were on top of her. She grabbed the collar of the biggest dog, which she estimated weighed about 40kg.

She said this dog had his mouth around the back of the neck and head of her dog and she heard a voice say: “I told you you bitch.”

Colgan said she lifted the dog up and managed to fling him away. She ran into the reception area of a nearby hospital but was told to leave. She asked for help and explained she was being attacked but she was still not allowed to stay. She said by the time she left the hospital, the man had gone.

The court heard she suffered a bite mark to the back of her leg and needed to get a tetanus injection. Her dog had two puncture wounds and needed an operation.

She said her leg was painful and the bruising was sore but the “emotional side of things is worse”.

Judge Martin Nolan said that he had no doubt Colgan’s enjoyment of life has decreased considerably as a result of the attack.

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He said that Molloy had led a blameless life up to this offence and had a difficult background.

He suspended a prison term of three years on condition that Molloy stay out of trouble for that period and obey the instructions of the Probation Services for one year.

He told Molloy that he could keep the two bull terrier mongrels he still owns. He ordered that when these dogs eventually die Molloy cannot replace them with “anything bigger than a terrier”.

He said he was not going to order the disposal of these dogs. The dog that bit the victim was taken into a dog’s home and later died.