Livestock Worrying Success
Our client faced one charge of livestock worrying contrary to s1(1) of the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953. It was alleged that our client owned a dog which worried (killed) livestock, namely Guinea Fowl, belonging to his neighbours.
The statutory defence provides that the ‘owner of a dog shall not be convicted of an offence under this Act in respect of the worrying of livestock by the dog if he proves that at the time when the dog worried the livestock it was in the charge of some other person, whom he reasonably believed to be a fit and proper person to be in charge of the dog.’
The court accepted our client was not in the county at the time of the incident and that the statutory defence was made out.
Fiona Haddadeen prepared the case and Holly Menary of 7 Harrington Street was trial counsel.
