A woman has received a community order after her dog mauled a postman and dragged him around like a 'rag doll'. Mark Fox, who'd been working in the profession for over 20 years, was attacked at Gemma Wood's home in Bury when he heard a dog barking aggressively.
He recalls hearing a loud bang before the Staffy-cross appeared and charged at him, biting his lower leg and knocking him to the ground. Minshull Street Crown Court heard that neighbours described the dog throwing the victim around like a 'rag doll', the MEN reports.
Eventually a man came out the house and pulled the dog away before Woods tearfully apologised to the postman. She was handed a community order and has to pay a £50 fine after she pleaded guilty to being a owner in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury.
Betsy Hindle, prosecuting, said that at around 10am on April 22 last year, Mr Fox was completing his round on Ribble Drive when he made his delivery at Woods’ home. He could hear the dog barking and noted the 5ft fence outside the house was broken.
She said: “He then heard a loud bang and saw the dog coming towards him. The dog came up to him and bit him on the lower leg causing him to fall backwards and the dog remained on his leg.”
Mr Fox had attempted to remove the animal by kicking and wiggling his leg but failed to do so. A man then came out of the house and tried to claim the injury was caused by the victim's backwards fall.
The postman argued his injury was clearly a bite from the dog before contacting emergency services while Woods came out of the house 'hysterically crying' and apologising. She was later arrested and said in her interview that the dog was a Staffy-cross and became emotional because she 'knew what was going to happen to it'.
She also admitted she knew the gate was broken and the dog had escaped while she was in the toilet. Mr Fox said in a statement that the attack hadn't altered his view on dogs but he was concerned if the animal that had attacked him ran away from the house it could cause harm to other people, including children or animals.
The prosecutor said he had to take time off his work but did not lose out financially. Wood, who has no previous convictions, has remained with her dog and there have been no further reported incidents.
Michael Lea, mitigating for Woods said his client was disabled and has limited movement in her legs. He said: "She is extremely regretful and remorseful about what happened.
"She was very emotional the first time she heard anything to do with the dog being put down.” He added that Woods had implemented measures to ensure her home is more secure including fixing the broken gate, installing two padlocks and buying a Ring doorbell.
Mr Lea said the dog has also not been out of the property without it's muzzle of lead since the attack on the postman in April. Sentencing, the judge, Recorder Michael Blakey said: “He indicated his fear that if this escalated again that the dog would attack others.
"Since this offence, you have taken steps to stop this from happening again.” Woods, of Ribble Drive, Bury, was handed a 12 month community order, 12 days of rehabilitation activity requirements and ordered to pay a £50 fine over the course of ten weeks.
No orders were made to destroy the dog.
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