Pensioner ordered to control his dogs

A FELIXSTOWE pensioner has been ordered to supervise his wife's German Shepherds more closely after one of them sank its teeth in to a woman's bottom.

Ronald Osborne, of Cavendish Road, admitted not keeping a dangerous dog under control when he appeared before Ipswich magistrates.

Prosecutor Andrea Reynolds told the court Lisa Miles was walking past the 70-year-old's home on April 15 this year when she heard the dogs, Holly and Jessie, barking.

She got two or three doors further along the road, before being bitten on the bottom by one of the nine-year-old twins who had pursued her, although she could not say which of the animals did it.

Ms Reynolds said at the time of the incident the German Shepherds were described as yapping and jumping all over each other.

After the incident she shouted to Osborne that one of his dogs had bitten her and asked him to call them off, only for him to reply that his dogs did not bite.

Ms Miles ended up with teeth marks on her bottom, along with numbness and reddening of the area affected.

The court heard Ms Miles said she felt threatened by the dogs, which she described as very aggressive and frightening.

Osborne, who represented himself in court, said he had opened his front door to get his voting card from the letterbox and the dogs shot through the gate, which someone had left open.

He stressed the dogs had never caused a problem before and that Ms Miles fear of the animals might have led to the incident.

Osborne said: "I would suggest she was frightened of them. She ran away from them and like normal animals the dogs chased after her and gave her a nip.

"They have run up and down that road without leads for the last five years."

Although Osborne told the court the dogs were his wife's, chairman of the bench Bernard Hindes said they were in his keeping at the time and were out of control.

Osborne agreed to abide by an order, which stated the German Shepherds must always be kept under proper control in future.