Dangerous dogs


New guidelines have been announced by the Sentencing Council which will see harsher punishments handed down to owners convicted of dangerous dog offences. 


From July, the maximum prison sentence for a dangerous dog offence where someone is killed will rise from two to 14 years, and where someone is injured from two to five years.


The guidelines have been welcomed by the CWU communication workers’ union. It has been waging its Bite Back campaign to extend the remit of the law and increase penalties.


National health, safety and environment officer Dave Joyce said: “We hope the new sentencing guidelines will ensure more consistency and penalties that fit the crime.”


The new guidelines follow amendments to the Dangerous Dogs Act in 2014 which extended the law to include attacks on private property, finally providing CWU members and other public service workers with full, legal protection. 


www.cwu.org/media/news/2016/march/17/stiffer-sentences-for-attack-dog-owners