A Devizes woman has been convicted after an XL Bully attacked a victim in the street.
Chelsea Reason appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on 12 November – to stand trial accused of an offence under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
The 26-year-old defendant, of Sheep Street, was found guilty of being in charge of a dangerously out of control XL Bully named Karma that caused injury to Tracey Mercer.
The incident happened on the main road through the village of West Overton, near Marlborough, on 9 February last year, the court heard.
The dog’s owner – 27-year-old Kyle Roe, of Callow Hill, Brinkworth – was jointly charged with the offence. However, he was found not guilty and he was acquitted.
Reason was fined £300 and ordered to pay a £120 surcharge. A collection order was made for deductions from benefits.
The cost of keeping Karma in police kennels following the incident totalled more than £18,500. But she won’t have to pay for this due to her lack of income.
A contingent destruction order was made for Karma, meaning the XL Bully could be put to sleep if the terms set by the court are breached in the future.
The conditions of the order include that the pet must be neutered or spayed, microchipped, muzzled and kept on a lead in all public places. The dog must only be handled in public by someone aged over sixteen, and the owner must maintain valid third party insurance.
The order also states that Karma will be destroyed within two months unless an exemption certificate is obtained from the Index of Exempted Dogs.
Back in July, Reason was convicted of fly-tipping two bags full of domestic waste, PPE and nitrous oxide canisters in the village of Fyfield, near Marlborough.
In that case she was fined £615 and ordered to pay £385 in court costs. It came after she failed to pay a fixed penalty notice issued by Wiltshire Council.
