Post by Sandy on Feb 24, 2010 17:12:28 GMT
Police warned dog owners to keep their animals under control after a man was sentenced following a savage attack on a guide dog.
John-Jo Madden, 18, of Gospel Oak, north west London, was banned from keeping dogs for 10 years by magistrates on Tuesday.
His terrier-type dog badly wounded a blind woman's guide dog when it ran out of control in an underpass at Cricklewood railway station last year.
Detective Constable Gerry Griffin, of British Transport Police (BTP), said the case sends a strong message about the responsibilities of dog ownership.
Speaking on Wednesday, he said: "The incident clearly illustrates the importance of making sure that dogs are under the control of their owners at all times - particularly in public places such as railway stations."
The 57-year-old blind woman was left deeply shocked when her chocolate-brown Labrador, named Neela, was attacked on Sunday October 4. The dog needed emergency treatment to puncture wounds to her neck but has since fully recovered.
The woman was walking through the station at lunchtime when her dog was pinned to the ground in a three-minute attack by the unleashed animal.
Madden was traced when investigators released CCTV images of him drinking from a can of beer and loitering in the area.
Police said Madden was jailed for three months, suspended for two years, at Hendon Magistrates' Court, in north London,on Tuesday. He was also ordered to undertake 150 hours of unpaid work, and pay £1,200 compensation to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and £500 to the owner.
Madden admitted one offence of possessing a dangerous dog in a public place under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
John-Jo Madden, 18, of Gospel Oak, north west London, was banned from keeping dogs for 10 years by magistrates on Tuesday.
His terrier-type dog badly wounded a blind woman's guide dog when it ran out of control in an underpass at Cricklewood railway station last year.
Detective Constable Gerry Griffin, of British Transport Police (BTP), said the case sends a strong message about the responsibilities of dog ownership.
Speaking on Wednesday, he said: "The incident clearly illustrates the importance of making sure that dogs are under the control of their owners at all times - particularly in public places such as railway stations."
The 57-year-old blind woman was left deeply shocked when her chocolate-brown Labrador, named Neela, was attacked on Sunday October 4. The dog needed emergency treatment to puncture wounds to her neck but has since fully recovered.
The woman was walking through the station at lunchtime when her dog was pinned to the ground in a three-minute attack by the unleashed animal.
Madden was traced when investigators released CCTV images of him drinking from a can of beer and loitering in the area.
Police said Madden was jailed for three months, suspended for two years, at Hendon Magistrates' Court, in north London,on Tuesday. He was also ordered to undertake 150 hours of unpaid work, and pay £1,200 compensation to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and £500 to the owner.
Madden admitted one offence of possessing a dangerous dog in a public place under the Dangerous Dogs Act.