Sentence further deferred in ‘dangerous’ dog court case
SENTENCING a 28-year-old man who admitted being in charge of a dangerously out of control dog has been further deferred to establish who owns the animal.
At Lerwick Sheriff Court last week, Barry Coutts, from Cunningsburgh, pleaded guilty to the charge and sentence was deferred for a week for the court to decide if the dog should be destroyed.
The animal had attacked another dog outside the Lounge Bar in Lerwick in September 2023, and bit its owner too.
When the case was called this morning (Wednesday), defence solicitor Tommy Allan told the court that his client was not the owner – but his mother, who lives in County Durham, was.
He said Coutts had been in charge of the dog at the time as he has custody of the animal from time to time, which was the case when the incident happened.
Allan told the court the dog was chipped and asked for a further deferral to be able to scan the chip and establish ownership.
Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie suggested the development may be an attempt to circumvent the law by transferring ownership to a different jurisdiction.
He said his main concern was Coutts’ “lack of control on the day”.
Sheriff Ian Cruickshank decided that more information was needed before he could make a decision.
He said because this was an aggravated offence the starting point for the court would be that the dog should be destroyed, but not if it could be decided that it was not dangerous.
Sentencing was deferred until 19 February.
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