A man who called his Staffordshire bull terrier a “good boy” after it mauled a woman, has been jailed for three-and-a-half years at Dundee Sheriff Court.
Derek Duncan, 24, of Cardean Street, launched an attack on his “best friend” Nadine Crowe, 24, after she binned a two-day-old takeaway meal he had left in the flat they shared in the city’s Mains Loan.
During the assault on May 7 last year, Duncan’s dog Kaii savaged Ms Crowe’s face, leaving her needing 45 stitches to her ear. A jury convicted Duncan of assault and also a charge under the Dangerous Dogs Act last month.
As he left the dock, Duncan branded Sheriff Elizabeth Munro a “stupid cow” and bragged “at least the dog’s not getting put down”.
Sheriff Munro called the attack a “vicious, unprovoked assault” and it emerged that the dog had been living with Duncan after the offence when it should have been taken into police custody.
She said Duncan’s refusal to reveal the dog’s whereabouts was an attempt to pervert the course of justice.
Depute fiscal Trina Sinclair said: “The dog was back with the accused in June, 2012. He was offering the dog as a stud dog in relation to breeding in May 2012.”
Sheriff Munro told Duncan: “This was a dreadful case. Members of the jury were in tears, but I don’t suppose you noticed.
“You only care about yourself. This was a personal attack on Nadine Crowe by you, as a result of which the dog attacked her with horrendous injuries.”
The three-day trial heard that Duncan launched the attack on Ms Crowe after she threw out his leftover meal. Ms Crowe told the jury he then began to slap her before pinning her down and repeatedly punching her face.
During the assault, his dog Kaii mauled Miss Crowe’s face, leaving her needing 45 stitches to her ear.
The jury took just 40 minutes to find him guilty by majority of assaulting Ms Crowe by punching her head, slapping her face and grabbing her throat.
They also found him guilty of sending messages to Ms Crowe’s sister threatening her with violence, on May 9.
Duncan was unanimously convicted of a charge under the Dangerous Dogs Act that Kaii was “dangerously out of control” when he bit and mauled Ms Crowe to her severe injury and permanent disfigurement.
Sheriff Munro jailed Duncan for three-and-a-half years and banned him from having a dog for 10 years.