A dangerous dog is facing destruction after it attacked a man as he walked past it, a court heard today.
Molly, a pitbull or Staffordshire cross, lunged at Chris Delacy and injured his wrist, then jumped up and tried to bite his face, leaving deep claw marks in his stomach.
Her owner Elle Compton had been holding her on a lead, but was unable to stop him attacking Mr Delacy.
Compton admitted being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control – but said Molly had been muzzled.
Today, a hearing into the facts of the case found the prosecution’s case that she had taken off Molly’s muzzle before the attack was not proven.
She will now be sentenced in July – when the court will also decide what will happen to Molly, who has been living in police kennels since the attack in April last year.
Prosecuting, Dominic Dudkowski said the police were seeking to rehome Molly – but if that was not possible, for her to be destroyed.
Police are also seeking an order banning Compton from keeping any dogs, the court was told.
The court was read a statement from a Sussex Police dog handler which said: “Compton has singificant previous history in relation to her inability to properly manage dogs.”
In 2012, Compton was given a dog control order in relation to another dog which required her to muzzle it, and if emergency services were called, to ensure it was in a separate room to her before they entered.
During the hearing, Mr Delacy said he had been walking with his friend Kelly Cope, who was eight months pregnant with his child, past Compton and Molly who were stood outside Amberley Lodge in Whitehawk Way when the dog attacked.
He said: “The dog was quite big – I would say it was one of those XL Bullies. It definitely didn’t have no muzzle.
“It ran towards us and the woman had fallen over from where she was drunk. It’s a very powerful dog. It went straight at my wrist.
“I used to love dogs. I hate them now.”
Cross examining, Kevin Light put Compton’s version of events to him, which was that Molly was wearing a muzzle, but Mr Delacy had punched it and dislodged it, before punching Compton herself and threatening her.
Mr Delacy denied this, adding: “I don’t hit women or agree with hitting women.”
Kelly Cope also gave evidence, saying she had seen Compton holding the muzzle before Molly attacked.
She said they had fled to her flat inside the block before calling the ambulance and police, adding: “They wouldn’t come into the property until they knew where the dog was.”
But she also said she had heard Delacy threatening Compton using almost exactly the same words Compton said he had – that if she wasn’t a woman, he would have snapped her in half.
Compton broke down in tears several times while giving evidence, particularly at the thought of Molly being in kennels for more than a year.
Of the evening of the attack, she said: “He’s shouting obscenities at his girlfriend. There’s a commotion – all I can see is him pulling the lead.
“I pull the lead, he’s punching my dog and I go to the floor.”
Chair of the bench Nick Letherby said: “We find that Molly was originally wearing a muzzle and that Elle Compton had taken all of the measures required.
“We find this because the evidence of some of the prosecution witnesses varied in some ways and therefore we cannot be sure.”
Compton will now be sentenced on July 11, when the application for a contingent destruction order will also be heard.
Some people shouldn’t have children or animals!
It’s clear, dysfunctional avoidance parents are the platform for dysfunctional children of today..the same could be said for dysfunctional dog owners, the dog will most likely witness abuse and aggression or be victim to it, no boundaries no consistent care and love..the outcome is most likely a potential death for either a dog, thee dog, or some innocent person.