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A man whose dog carried out a vicious and unprovoked attack on a guide dog in Yeovil town centre after he had previously been warned to keep it under control has been ordered to have the animal destroyed and banned from keeping dogs for the next 10 years.

A court was shown distressing CCTV footage of the attack outside The Entertainer store in Middle Street where the Staffordshire Bull Terrier dog could be seen attacking the black Labrador with its teeth clamped onto its head.

His distraught owner, who was almost totally blind, was helped by several members of the public who managed to separate the dogs, and the owner of the bull terrier, Lewis Richardson, put a lead and muzzle back on it.

Richardson, 40, of Pathways, Yeovil, pleaded not guilty that on April 23 at Yeovil he was the owner of a white Staffordshire Bull Terrier, named Shaz, which was dangerously out of control in Middle Street, and whilst so out of control injured a black labrador assistance dog, namely Vicky, belonging to Katherine Vickery.

When the defendant was later interviewed by police it emerged that he had previously signed a written undertaking to keep the dog muzzled and on a lead at all times in a public place following a previous incident where it had bitten somebody.

The matter was adjourned for a trial to take place before Somerset Magistrates at Yeovil, but when the defendant failed to turn up for the hearing he was found guilty of the offence in his absence.

He was then subsequently arrested by police and brought back before the court where he was sentenced to a 12 month community order with 180 hours unpaid work and a 10 day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

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He was also ordered to pay a total of £697.36 compensation to cover Vicky’s vet bills and guide dog assessments.

He was also made subject to the 10 year disqualification from keeping dogs and told that his dog would now be destroyed following assessments which deemed the animal too dangerous to be rehomed.

Prosecutor Christine Hart said that on the day in question Katherine Vickery was in Yeovil town centre with her guide dog Vicky and walked past Richardson who was sat down by a shop with his dog Shaz, a Staffordshire bull terrier.

“Shaz then started to attack the guide dog and some members of the public managed to separate them,” she said.

“Vicky was bleeding and had three wounds to her ear which were later closed under anaesthetic.

“The defendant was voluntarily interviewed by police and said he was sat down and must have let go of the lead as he was making a cigarette.

“He accepted his dog attacked the guide dog but denied that Shaz was dangerously out of control.

“He also said the dog did have a muzzle but he had temporarily taken it off due to the hot weather and admitted his dog bit the labrador.”

(Image: Google)

In a statement made by Miss Vickery, she said that as she got near to the Entertainer shop she saw a white dog approaching her labrador but only noticed when it was very close.

“All of a sudden I felt Vicky getting pulled away from me which made me drop the lead and I didn’t know what was happening,” she said.

“I could hear Vicky howling and crying and could see a white blob on top of her. I called her name but she didn’t come and I felt helpless and shocked.

“She was being attacked by another animal and I could hear members of the public trying to separate them, which they managed to do.”

She said that as a result of the attack Vicky sustained a torn ear and was bleeding so she took her to the vets in a taxi and felt extremely distressed.

“The whole incident lasted a few minutes and has made me nervous about taking Vicky out again. It has affected my day to day routine and was an unprovoked attack.”

The court was told that on January 17 this year Richardson signed a written undertaking about Shaz, agreeing to comply with conditions that the dog must wear a muzzle, be kept on a lead in a public place and not left unattended.

Miss Hart said that the day after the incident a police officer saw the defendant in Middle Street and the dog was not wearing a muzzle and appeared to be agitated and he seemed unable to control her.

The dog had since been seized in order to protect the public and following an assessment it was deemed she was not fit to be rehomed safely.

“As a result of this a destruction order is requested as the defendant has failed to demonstrate that he can control the dog,” she said.

The magistrates said that after considering the evidence before them they found that Richardson was guilty of being in charge of the dog whilst it was dangerously out of control.

Defending solicitor Neil Priest said it was a “very sad and sensitive case.”

He said Richardson admitted the dog did not have a muzzle on because it was a very hot day and he had temporarily put it in his pocket.

When the defendant was sentenced, presiding magistrate, Judy Watson, who uses a guide dog herself, said: “This was a really horrible incident for Miss Vickery and has had an impact on her life.

“When she comes to town she cannot be completely confident about the way her guide dog is going to act,” she said.

“That is very hard for her as any blind person needs complete confidence in their dog so they can lead their life to the full.

“It is a very serious offence.”

She said they were also ordering the destruction of the dog as it was just not safe.

“We are satisfied that your dog is a danger to public safety and there are no measures that can be put in place that can change that and there is no way round that, so your dog will have to be destroyed,” she added.

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