A Bboy on his way to school was viciously attacked by two dogs after their owner accidentally let them out on to the street.
Edward OToole, 48, appeared at Kirklees Magistrates Court yesterday charged with allowing his two Brindle Staffie Cross dogs, one of them called Scar Face, to be dangerously out of control in a public place.
He pleaded guilty to the offence.
Prosecuting, Linda Fowler, said the incident occurred on the morning of December 6 around 8.30am at Sheepridge Grove, Sheepridge.
When OToole was putting the bins out the dogs escaped and attacked Idle Saad Idle and his mother Rhama Ladiye Geedi, who lived next door and who were on the way to his school.
Mrs Fowler said: “When they opened the door and walked into the street the dogs ran in their way. She was very frightened and the dogs started to attack her son. She used her hands to protect him.”
Idle suffered bites to his chest and forehead.
Mrs Fowler added: “The incident was witnessed by someone who was in Sheepridge Grove. She heard screaming and looked out of the window and realised it was her mother’s partner’s dogs.
“She ran into the street. Scar Face, the male dog was biting the boy. He had a wound to his face. She tried to assist the victims and kicked the dogs a number of times trying to get them off.”
Andrew Sugden, mitigating, said that when interviewed by police the defendant said the dogs had never behaved like that before and he was disgusted with what they had done. He agreed that the dogs be put down.
Mr Sugden said OToole was “extremely sorry” for what happened. He had always kept them in the house and had never let them roam alone.
Mr Sugden said: “It happened so quickly there was very little he could do to stop it.
“He very much regrets what occurred and apologises to the complainants.”
Chairman of the bench, Barry Bedford, adjourned the matter until next month for a probation report and said “custody was still an option.”
