A man was sentenced to a suspended sentence for owning dangerously aggressive animals after his two dogs were fatally shot by police in his presence.
A video went viral on social media showing Metropolitan police officers shooting and killing Louie Turnbull’s dogs near an east London canal in May of this year.
The individual, aged 47, admitted to possessing two dogs that were deemed to be dangerously out of control in Snaresbrook crown court on Friday.
He received a suspended prison sentence of 14 weeks with a 12-month period.
At the moment of the occurrence on Commercial Road in Poplar, Turnbull had been prohibited from owning dogs for 20 years.
The court mandated the order in November of 2019 following a comparable occurrence for which he was also given a deferred punishment.
Turnbull became emotional and cried in court when it was revealed that he was suffering from PTSD due to the traumatic experience of witnessing his beloved pets, who he considered to be like family, being killed in front of him.
According to Jessica Clarke, who is handling the case, Turnbull’s animals assaulted Denisa Shyti’s dog while she was out for a walk on the street.
She stated that on May 7th of this year, Ms. Shyti was strolling along the street with her leashed dog.
“Mr. Turnbull was seated on the sidewalk with his two unleashed dogs. As she approached, his dogs approached and began attacking her dog.”
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“Ms Shyti intervened in an attempt to prevent the attack. She positioned herself on the ground, resulting in a physical altercation between Mr Turnbull’s two dogs and Ms Shyti and her dog.”
It can be said that Mr Turnbull made an effort to intervene and break up the fight as well.
Clarke stated that the officers arrived at the location and Turnbull proceeded to walk away before breaking a glass bottle on the ground.
She stated, “I am not implying that the dogs would have shown aggression towards people instead of animals.”
District Judge Oscar Del Fabbro recognized that the accused, who had recently been hospitalized for sepsis, was experiencing “difficulty” during that period.
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The judge delivered his ruling and stated: “As the defense argues, he may treat [his dogs] as if they were his children or family members.”
However, owning dogs and other animals is a more complex situation as it can affect others in the community.
“Mr. Turnbull, whatever transpired on that particular day, was a direct result of your shortcomings – you should not have owned those dogs in the first place.”
Initially, Turnbull faced charges for possessing two aggressive canines that caused harm. However, this was dropped when Shyti clarified that she was injured while attempting to protect her own dog, rather than being attacked by the defendant’s dogs.
Turnbull was sentenced on Friday and also received a four-year ban on owning and controlling dogs, which will overlap with his current 20-year ban.
In February, he is scheduled to receive a sentence for another crime at Willesden Magistrates Court.
The actions of the officers are currently under review by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation.
Video shared on social media depicted police officers chasing Turnbull near the canal while he held two dogs on a leash. The incident seemed to become more intense when the officers used a Taser on the man and ultimately shot and fatally injured the dogs.
Source: theguardian.com
