Dog to be destroyed for savaging postman

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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MAGISTRATES have ordered the destruction of a dog which savaged a postman and warned its owner that he could be jailed if he offends again.

Christopher Maurice Cole's Alsatian-cross left its victim with bite marks on his calves which required daily medical treatment after the attack in January last year.

Cole was convicted of being the owner of a dog which was dangerously out of control in a public place at trial last month.

At Darlington Magistrates' Court yesterday, the unemployed roofer, of Brunton Street, Darlington, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for one year, and ordered to pay the Royal Mail worker £400 in compensation.

During the trail, magistrates heard that Cole had laughed when the postman asked him to control the animal. At court, Cole denied it, and claimed he had been at work when the attack happened while his father was looking after the dog. Neither his employers nor his father appeared in court to back up the story during the trial.

The attack took place when delivery man Michael Stephenson was making his rounds on the morning of January 11 2008.

Chris Bunting, mitigating, said: "It was always Mr Cole's case that it wasn't he who attended to the dog, it was his father.

"Unfortunately his father is not the most reliable person in this world and he didn't come forward to give evidence.

"Nevertheless Mr Cole is the owner of the dog and he shouldn't have allowed his father to be in control as he was intoxicated at the time."