Coventry pit bull owner jailed after dog bit postwoman

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/p ... er-7993921" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Mandie Dunkley from Radford was ordered to do community work - but she refused to do it

A Coventry woman whose dog bit a postwoman has been jailed after refusing to do community work.

Mandie Dunkley had pleaded guilty at the crown court in Leamington earlier this year to being in charge of a dog which was dangerously out of control.

And following a series of adjournments Dunkley, 49, of Bruce Road, Radford, was ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work and to pay £800 costs.

But after doing "absolutely no work" and indicating that she would not comply with the order, Judge Sylvia de Bertodano jailed Dunkley for two months and revoked the costs order.

Her barrister Ian Speed told the court that in April last year Dunkley and her partner Martin Gilvray were living at the address in Bruce Road with Diesel, a pit bull-type dog.

"Diesel was outside secured with a length of rope which he slipped, and subsequently he bit the post lady. The police attended and she admitted culpability."

Dunkley pleaded guilty as long ago as March, and on that occasion the case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report.

The court was also told by her barrister at that hearing, Amrisha Parathalingam, that a dog behavioural therapist had been instructed to visit the dog in kennels because it was planned to oppose any order for its destruction.

Following that hearing, because they had been informed an application would be made to have Diesel destroyed, Mr Gilvray persuaded Dunkley to apply to vacate her guilty plea, and she sacked her solicitors.

"That’s where I came onto the scene,” said Mr Speed.

"The dog had been in custody for eight months and was just not controllable, and they agreed it should be put down."

And because its destruction had been accepted, Dunkley then abandoned her bid to vacate her plea and was sentenced at the end of July.

But Mr Speed, who said Dunkley is prescribed the heroin substitute methadone, told the court: "There has been absolutely no work done on the unpaid work.

"She says not only won’t she comply, but she can’t comply.

"She has also been landed with costs of £800. She can’t pay that without going back on the street."

He added that Dunkley and her partner have since been evicted from Bruce Road and are now living in a hostel.

Jailing Dunkley, Judge Sylvia de Bertodano told her: "You know why you’re here. Clearly the community order has not worked.

"Dogs clearly need to be kept under control if they are this sort of dog; and in this case your dog was not kept under control and it ended up hurting someone."

[Surreypostie]

Should put her down, waste of bloody space people like her.

[houseoflords]

This just sounds typical of this country, scum doley scroungers

[TrueBlueTerrier]

This just sounds typical of this country, scum doley scroungers

I think the heroin addiction is more of a factor than claiming job seekers. I understand and hope that you're not tarring all JS Claimants with the same brush, but drug addicts generally made the choices that put them in their situation, the same can't be said for EVERYONE on benefits.