The owner of an XL Bully has appeared at Swindon Magistrates Court this week, where he pleaded not guilty to owning a fighting dog and making a gift of a fighting dog on 1st February 2024.
Daniel Thomas,32, who lives in North End, Calne, claimed he had given away the dog, Duchess, before owning an unregistered XL dog had become illegal.
The issue of this particular dog has been ongoing for several months now - in October 2023, Mr Thomas was issued with a Community Protection Notice by police following several reports from residents in the North End area of Calne, that the dog was repeatedly roaming free, even scaring one young girl enough to hide in a garden.
He had appeared in court on the 2nd February and was issued with a Dog Control Order , which is believed to be an XL Bully – now a banned breed under Section 1 Dangerous Dogs Act ’91.
The order states his property must be secure at all times to prevent the dog escaping, the dog must be muzzled and on a lead at all times when in public and the animal must not be walked by anyone under the age of 18.
At court this week, Mr Thomas pleaded guilty to assault charges on a man following an incident last week in Calne. The court heard that the victim had been walking home at about 5pm when he saw Thomas and accused him of sleeping with someone. Thomas hurled abuse at the victim who then suffered a kick to the ribs and cuts to his knee. Thomas was fined £120 and ordered to pay £48 to victim services, however, the time he had spent in custody covered the fines.
In relation to the charges regarding the XL Bully , Thomas was released on unconditional bail until his trial on 22nd July.
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