A dog owner whose XL bully savagely bit a man and left him hospitalised has admitted failing to keep the animal under control.
Stephen Clay pleaded guilty to being the owner of a dangerously out of control dog and causing injury to a person when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court this week via video link from HMP Nottingham. In October, prosecutor Flo Harper said Diesel is alleged to have lunged at the victim, biting his thigh and hand as he walked past the defendant.
She said the man underwent surgery for his injuries. However, at an earlier trial at the magistrates court last month, Clay was acquitted of a second charge of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal by beating the dog – called Diesel – on August 2, 2024.
Digby Johson, representing Clay, successfully applied for an adjournment so that his client could be assessed by the probation service ahead of sentencing on March 18. Judge Steven Coupland said: “I am adjourning your case for a short time to allow these people to come and see you. This is being done for your benefit so I would ask that you co-operate with them when they come and see you.” Clay replied: “I will fully cooperate.”
In a statement released at the time of the incident, Nottinghamshire Police said: “Officers were called to High Road, Beeston, shortly after 8.45am on Wednesday, October 9, following reports a man had been attacked by a dog. Following inquiries, police arrested a 44-year-old man on Thursday, October 10, at an address in Beeston on suspicion of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control.
“Officers also seized a dog, believed to be an XL bully type, from the address. It remains in secure kennels. The victim, a 26-year-old man, was taken to hospital after suffering injuries to his leg and hand. His injuries are not currently believed to be life-threatening.”
At his first appearance in October, Clay arrived at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court carrying a dog muzzle before asking the bench not to stop him being allowed to keep pets as part of his bail conditions because he “loved animals”. Speaking at the time, Clay said: “Can I change the bail details, please? I love animals. I tried to save a pigeon the other day and it died on me.”
Clay will be sentenced on March 18 and was remanded into custody until that date.
The XL Bully was originally bred from the American pit bull terrier, with influence from other American and English bulldogs. It is said to have been created as a ‘bigger and stronger’ version of the pit bull and tends to weigh between 20 to 60kg and stand 33 to 50cm in height.
The breed has a distinctively large and broad head with a muscular build. XL Bullies first reached the UK in 2015. The breed is not recognised by the main dog associations in the UK, though the UK Bully Kennel Clubdescribes the breed as having a “gentle personality and loving nature”.
The canine organisation states that the XL Bully is a recent breed dating back to the 1980s and has grown in popularity due to its “distinctive build and height combined with a compassionate nature”.
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