The judge jailed Armstrong for 20 months. He also made a destruction order for the dog, saying it was for the safety of the public.
He said: "An experienced dog handler has found that the dog cannot be socialised and remains unpredictable and aggressive. Mr Henderson says the dog cannot be rehomed."
Sadly, the justice system doesn't make the same judgement about the owner:
When Armstrong was arrested, he told police that the woman had "provoked his dog by grabbing hold of his face and kissing him on the lips." (Ed: Unsurprisingly, Reader, that's a lie..,) A probation officer who spoke with Armstrong reported that he was "completely unrepentant" over what had happened.
The court heard that Bruce had got out of the garden and injured a 10-year-old girl six months earlier. The girl was left with a scratch to her elbow and Armstrong told police that his lodger had let the dog out.
So, once again, the ridiculous attitude that a dog is allowed 'one bite' is to blame for the subsequent victim's injury. If the beast had been destroyed then and there, this wouldn't have happened.
Armstong, of Cornwall Street in Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to owning a dog dangerously out of control, at a hearing on May 26. The court heard that he had then failed to turn up for two further court hearings and had failed to surrender to custody on June 22. A warrant was issued for his arrest and he was remanded into custody at HMP Doncaster.
Why isn't his sentence increased on the basis he's a scofflaw?
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