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A Yeovil man whose seven-and-a-half stone German Shepherd attacked a passer-by must comply with strict conditions to control the animal or face having him put down.

The German Shepherd, called Olly, pulled away from his owner Robert Longley who put him on an extendable lead before it lunged at the victim.

Olly's teeth went through two layers of denim, padding and cotton and clamped his jaw onto the victim's arm so hard they could feel a crushing feeling.

He was forced to punch the dog to the nose in order to release its grip and when the defendant got him back under control, he apologised saying the dog was just being “territorial”.

(Image: Chalabala/Getty)

When he appeared before Somerset Magistrates' Court it heard the dog had been involved in a previous incident in 2016 when he had bitten a cyclist causing a minor injury. That was after Longley had signed a written undertaking to keep the animal under control.

Despite this, magistrates said they were not ordering the immediate destruction of Olly but instead made a contingent destruction order where the defendant would have to comply with a number of conditions, including keeping it muzzled and on a lead in public at all times.

Longley, 66, of Cavalier Way, pleaded guilty to a charge that on April 9 at Yeovil he was in charge of a dog which was dangerously out of control and injured Lloyd Holmes.

Prosecutor Emma Lenanton said the victim, who is 6ft 3in, was walking along Cavalier Way at 6.45pm when the dog made its way from the front of the defendant’s house onto the pathway.

She said: “Without warning it made eye contact with Mr Holmes and lunged forwards who then put his arms out to protect himself as the dog jumped towards its face.

“He sunk his teeth into the victim’s right forearm which sunk through his jacket sleeve and made four puncture wounds to his arm.

“He clamped on and Mr Holmes could feel a crushing feeling and was then forced to punch the dog to the nose to release it.”

Longley struggled to get control of the animal and asked Mr Holmes if he was okay and apologised saying it was not the dog’s fault and that he was just being territorial.

Miss Lenanton said the victim only sustained minor injuries but added it was fortunate it was not a more vulnerable victim.

She also made an application for a contingent destruction order to be imposed on the dog by the court.

Greg Peters, defending, said Longley understood the impact of this offence and had shown remorse about what had happened.

He said that Olly was a rescue dog who his client had owned for two years and he did take precautions to make sure it was under control.

That day he said the dog was on an extendable lead, a fact which was disputed by the prosecution, and was locking his door before putting him in his car so he could go somewhere remote to walk him.

“During interview he said he felt gutted when this incident happened and accepted it occurred due to his negligence and is not seeking to minimise the offence,” he said.

“He is in great fear in relation to a possible destruction order and does not want Olly to be put down and thankfully the injuries were minor.”

The magistrates told Longley that Olly was “a danger to the public’s safety but were not going to order him to be destroyed, but instead imposed a contingent destruction order.

They said that as long as the defendant complied with the terms of the order then the dog would not be put down and told him that dog’s life was now in his hands.

They directed that he must be muzzled at all times in a public place and must be kept securely on a lead by a person aged over 16.”

They told Longley that if he failed to comply with these requirements then he could face a prison sentence and the dog would be destroyed.

He was also ordered to pay £200 compensation to Mr Holmes along with £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

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