The Sentencing Council today announced a new set of sentencing guidelines to cover Dangerous Dogs Act Offences.
Dangerous Dogs – Sentencing Guidelines
The new guidelines will be effective from the 1st July 2016. They have been brought into effect after the Dangerous Dogs Act was amended in 2014.
The amendments to the law introduced a new offence of attacks on assistance dogs (dogs for the blind etc) and allowed dog owners to be prosecuted when their dogs attacked people on private land as well as public (for example biting postmen delivering letters).
Lord Justice Treacy announced the rationale behind the decision on a video.
The guidelines will help Courts to determine appropriate sentences based on a range of relevant factors including culpability and aim to punish those who deliberately train dogs to be aggressive or use dogs as a weapon. Conversely the guidelines assist people caught under the law where their dogs were provoked, where they intervened to sort the matter out or where there was a momentary lapse of concentration.
The guidelines seem to be well thought out and help clarify potential sentences for a much wider set of circumstances than the previous guidelines.
Dangerous Dogs Lawyers
Written by Toby Wilbraham. Toby is a highly experienced criminal defence solicitor as well as being a Higher Court Advocate
In the Magistrates Court Toby has conducted numerous niche cases such as Dangerous Dogs prosecutions, SIA prosecutions and Environment Agency Prosecutions. Toby is an excellent advocate combining an extremely impressive acquittal rate with thorough and extensive preparation.
