Brynmawr man to pay compensation to dog bite victim

Mark Smith, 52, was ordered to pay £250 to Pamela Young after she was bitten on her left calf by Smith’s dog, a black collie cross breed called Prinze, in April this year.

Mr Smith pleaded guilty at Caerphilly Magistrates Court to charges of allowing his dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place and for causing the injury.

Prosecutor Chris Simkins told the court how Ms Young had parked her car to see her daughter on George Street at around 3 o’clock in the afternoon.  Ms Young saw the dog running up the street as she got out of her car.

Smith’s dog ran towards her barking, and though Ms Young ran back to her car she could not open the door because of child locks.  She was subsequently bitten on the left calf as she tried to move her daughter’s dog away from the attacking dog.

Mr Simkins said: “She was petrified. She said it felt like someone had stuck a knife in her leg.”

Ms Young was treated for lacerations and given antibiotics to stop infection by a doctor.

Mr Smith represented himself in court and said he had apologised to Ms Young for her injuries and offered her compensation. He said the dog had been mistreated in the past, but was now a family pet.

The dog now has to be muzzled when in a public place, and kept on a lead at all times.Mark Smith, 52, was ordered to pay £250 to Pamela Young after she was bitten on her left calf by Smith’s dog, a black collie cross breed called Prinze, in April this year.

Mr Smith pleaded guilty at Caerphilly Magistrates Court to charges of allowing his dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place and for causing the injury.

Prosecutor Chris Simkins told the court how Ms Young had parked her car to see her daughter on George Street at around 3 o’clock in the afternoon.  Ms Young saw the dog running up the street as she got out of her car.

Smith’s dog ran towards her barking, and though Ms Young ran back to her car she could not open the door because of child locks.  She was subsequently bitten on the left calf as she tried to move her daughter’s dog away from the attacking dog.

Mr Simkins said: “She was petrified. She said it felt like someone had stuck a knife in her leg.”

Ms Young was treated for lacerations and given antibiotics to stop infection by a doctor.

Mr Smith represented himself in court and said he had apologised to Ms Young for her injuries and offered her compensation. He said the dog had been mistreated in the past, but was now a family pet.

The dog now has to be muzzled when in a public place, and kept on a lead at all times.