A man needed 40 stitches after a dangerous American Bulldog pounced at his face and bit it in a supermarket car park in Arbroath.
The dog was in the back seat of a car at Tesco with its owner’s partner Wayne Stephenson and a child in the front.
A friend of Stephenson approached to chat and minutes later, the dog suddenly lunged at the car window and bit him on the nose and lip.
At Forfar Sheriff Court this week offshore worker Stephenson pled guilty to being in charge of 30-month-old female American Bulldog Nova when she was dangerously out of control.
The charge states the attack left Richard Spink severely injured, permanently disfigured and permanently impaired.
The dog had only been returned days earlier, having allegedly bitten a three-year-old girl seven months before.
The court heard Mr Spink was taken to Ninewells, where he underwent a two-and-a-half hour surgical procedure to reconstruct his nose and lip.
He needed around 40 stitches – internal and external – to repair the damage.
A sheriff will consider whether the dog should be destroyed.
Horrific injuries after American Bulldog attack
The court heard Mr Spink had been at the car for around five minutes from 2.30pm on December 11 2022 and there had been no issues.
Nova was in the back, unsecured and unmuzzled, and had stuck her head between the front seat headrests to be petted.
Stephenson disclosed to his friend that Nova had only been returned from the Scottish SPCA two days before, after the alleged attack on the young girl.
Another associate of Mr Spink and Stephenson’s arrived and Mr Spink leaned on the open window sill.
Suddenly, Nova lunged forward and began biting Mr Spink on the right side of his face, connecting with his nose and lip.
This caused instant bleeding.
Stephenson advised his friend to seek medical advice from inside the supermarket but from there he was directed to get professional treatment.
The third man took Mr Spink to Ninewells for surgery.
By the following month, Mr Spink still had no feeling in the right side of his lip and was advised that due to the nerve damage, it was unlikely to return.
He also reported a loss of feeling in part of his nose but was advised this could return.
Mr Spink has been left with a scar from the bottom of his nose across his lip.
Dog was ‘protecting child’
Nova was seized by police four days later and Stephenson told officers: “The dog thought he was a threat to (the boy).”
Stephenson, of Kinnell, near Friockheim, admitted he was in charge of Nova while she was dangerously out of control.
A plea of not guilty was accepted to a second charge that Stephenson was responsible for Nova when she bit a three-year-old girl – leaving her severely injured and permanently disfigured – at a property in Angus on April 2 2022.
41-year-old Stephenson has previous convictions for violence and road traffic matters.
Prosecutors lodged a motion to disqualify him from keeping dogs.
I do find these cases difficult and I find I have difficulty when nobody speaks up for the dog. One almost wants to appoint an amicus to speak for the dog.”
— Sheriff Mungo Bovey.
Stephenson’s solicitor Nick Whelan said: “His fault appears to be not muzzling the dog. He had the dog in a car.
“My Lord will require to consider destruction.
“The owner of the dog has regularly been in touch with the Crown. The dog’s currently kennelled.
“It’s not his dog – he’s had numerous dogs in the past with no issues.
“This was a young dog.”
Sheriff — ‘Two sides to any story’
Sheriff Mungo Bovey ordered reports and deferred sentencing until April 11.
He said: “I’ve got these photographs, which are pretty bad-looking and the narration is damning but there’s always two sides to any story.
“I do find these cases difficult and I find I have difficulty when nobody speaks up for the dog.
“One almost wants to appoint an amicus to speak for the dog.”
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