A DOG has been put down and its owner given a community order after it bit a child and a police officer in Whitchurch.

Jordan Cuthbert, of Maes y Coed near Conwy, appeared in Telford Magistrates Court on Friday, April 23, charged with two counts of owning a dangerously out of control dog, causing an injury.

Prosecuting, Paul John, told the court how on July 11, 2020, Cuthbert was visiting Brown Moss Country Park with his dog Ronnie – an American bulldog.

The court heard how after walking past another family with a dog, Ronnie jumped up at a seven-year-old, knocking them on their back and inflicting a bite mark.

Ronnie was pulled off the child by 26-year-old Cuthbert and they left the scene, followed by the child and their father to an address in Bronington. The father then reported the address to the police.

The following day officers Deb Wheeler and John Hindley visited the address, in Bronington Park, to speak to Cuthbert.

Speaking to the officers, Cuthbert admitted the incident had happened but said he was unaware Ronnie had bitten the child.

And when PC Hindley entered the garden, Ronnie began to growl. Cuthbert was told to control his pet, but before he could it bit PC Hindley on the inside of his leg, leaving him with three puncture wounds.

Ronnie was then seized by police and impounded, and subsequently put down.

Representing himself, Cuthbert said the actions of Ronnie were out of character – but that he was concerned that his dog's character would be changed if he was released from the pound.

"I decided to sign my dog over," said Cuthbert.

"He'd been in impounded for eight months, and as I’ve heard bad things about there I don’t know what he’d be like when he came out.

"Before that he was perfectly fine. I have a child and he used to sleep with him perfectly fine.

"It wasn’t a bite mark on the child – it was a scratch."

After a brief discussion, chairman of the hearing Lisa Peter imposed a community order to conduct unpaid work on Cuthbert, as well as paying compensation.

She said: "For the offences you are before us this afternoon, we are going to give you a community order.

"One requirement of this is 100 hours unpaid work."

Cuthbert was also ordered to pay compensation to the child and PC Hindley, and costs to the court.