Staffie left woman and dog injured in St Annes

A woman suffered serious bite injuries when she and her terrier were attacked by a dog.
Blackpool Magistrates CourtBlackpool Magistrates Court
Blackpool Magistrates Court

She was trying to protect her much smaller dog which had been savaged and bitten by a neighbour’s Stafforshire Bull Terrier.

The woman was bitten on her stomach arm and thumb and was described as having lasting issues from the attack.

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Thomas Porter, a 76-year-old former engineer, of South Hey, Ansdell, pleaded guilty to having a dog dangerously out of control in Worsley Road, Ansdell, which injured Jennifer Sadler.

He was sentenced to a 12 month community order with 75 hours unpaid work for the community and ordered to pay compensation of £350 to the woman plus £139.93p for the vets’ bill by District Judge Jeff Brailsford sitting at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

He also made a Contingent Destruction Order on Porter’s dog, which is called Cheeky.

The dog must only be walked with a muzzle, harness and lead on and not by anyone under the age of 18. Porter’s home must be secure so a dog can not escape from there.

If the conditions are not met the dog could be destroyed.

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The court was told that on January 19 last year Porter’s white Staffordshire Bull Terrier was being put in a carrier to be taken to have its nails clipped when it slipped its collar and escaped.

It ran round the corner and encountered Jennifer Sadler who was walking a small terrier dog.

The bull terrier bit the smaller dog’s rear end and when Ms Sadler tried to protect her animal the bull terrier bit her on the stomach, arm and thumb.

Martin Hillson, defending, said the incident with Porter’s dog had been a one-off incident and none had occurred previously.

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Porter had five dogs but only exercised two at a time and not in public.

Probation officer Brian Wetherington, told the judge that Porter accepted his dog slipped the lead on hearing a noise and went and attacked a neighbour and her dog.

Since the offence Porter had bought harnesses for all his five dogs and he exercised them away from the public.

The judge

“As far as the victim is concerned it was a hugely unpleasant incident and she has lasting consequences from it.

“She was trying to walk her much smaller dog and your much larger dog came round the corner and attacked and injured her as she was trying to protect her dog.”