Doing The Defence's Job For Them?

A story on the need to review the useless Dangerous Dogs Act in the 'Mail':

...the owner, who simply stood by, doing nothing to restrain his animals, had disappeared. He denied the attack on us but was eventually charged for an identical attack, two weeks later, on a neighbour’s dog, another spaniel the same size and colour as mine. She, too, had intervened and was also badly bitten.

And that's where it gets a little....strange:

The police went to see her. Would she consider dropping the charges? The dogs’ owner was a recovering addict, said by his social worker to be doing well. The dogs, Staffordshire terrier-pit bull cross breeds, did not fall into the statutory category of dangerous dogs; they were also apparently his only friends.

Ummm, what? Are we sure this was the police?

I mean, a lax response to the attack I can understand, I've seen that many times, but actively helping to quash the complaint? That's a new one!

It's not clear if she did agree to this, as the mention of a 'fine' might have been a FPN rather than anything imposed by a magistrate, but it makes you wonder, doesn't it?

He eventually received a derisory fine for aggravated assault and was merely advised to keep the dogs on the lead – hardly a serious deterrent for someone in possession of two clearly out of control and potentially lethal weapons.

Yeah, well, there's a lot of that going around, it seems!

Blackburn-Smith kept Debo in a cage that was too small, which could have caused him to become violent, the court was told.

But RSPCA officers and a police community support officer failed to notice this when they visited Blackburn-Smith's home regarding a separate noise complaint prior to the attack on Ms Williams.

I expect they've been given 'words of advice'...

And just what IS it with dog people?

Barbara Allen, from rescue charity Croydon Animal Samaritans, does not think the dog should have been put down.

She told the Advertiser: "I went mad when I saw this story on the news and they'd killed the dog.

"There was no need to shoot it – it was probably almost starved to death."

OK, Barbara, next time the police have a gravely-injured woman in a house with an 8st hellhound, can they give you a call, and you can go in with a Pedigree Jumbone and a soothing tone of voice?