XL Bully Owner Escapes Jail After Dog Bites Girl's Face

An XL Bully owner whose dog attacked a child and left her with permanent scarring has walked free from court. The animal, Rocky, set upon the 9-year-old victim at an address in Nottingham in January 2024, a court heard. Despite causing injuries so severe that the child had to take time off school, the dog has now been returned home to its owner, Elizabeth Boot. When the victim was taken to hospital, Boot begged her and her mother not to tell the police what happened 'or it would get put down', Nottingham Crown Court was told. The 33-year-old defendant from Sneinton then gave false details when asked for them while at the hospital. A dog behaviour expert who analysed Rocky produced a report concluding it would be safe to be returned to Boot's address. Handing her a 16-month jail term, suspended for 18 months, Judge Mark Watson said: 'This was a frightening and scary incident, it must have been, and was made worse by your response to it. Rather than show concern for the girl, you were more concerned about Rocky and the impact on you and your family. It was selfish behaviour and behaviour you should be ashamed of. But it was a quick bite and I am satisfied it was snapping rather than the dog taking hold and mauling.

An XL Bully owner whose dog attacked a child and left her with permanent scarring has walked free from court. Despite causing injuries so severe that the the child had to take time off school, the dog has now been returned home to its owner, Elizabeth Boot (pictured). The animal, Rocky, set upon the 9-year-old victim at an address in Nottingham in January 2024, a court heard (stock image). A graphic showing the key physical features of the XL Bully breed as defined by government legislation. Last year data revealed the top ten XL Bully hotspots in 2023, unveiling the areas with the highest numbers of the 'dangerous' dog. 'And (having heard the expert evidence) I am satisfied that Rocky does not pose a danger to the public. This was not an incident out of the blue without explanation and (concerns) the behaviour of children around dogs.'

Devni Kitulagoda, prosecuting, said the incident happened at an address in Nottingham on January 4, 2024. He said the girl was unsupervised with the dog when it suddenly bit her just under her eye. Boot realised what was happening after hearing the child her scream. The prosecutor said: 'The defendant's partner then began shouting that Rocky was going to be put down and begged her and her mother not to say that Rocky had bitten (the girl). She received a number of injuries including a deep gash under her eye and attended the QMC where she received stitches. While there, the defendant gave a false name and false details. Officers then attained her address on January 8 and while there Rocky had to be held back.' Boot of Furlong Place, later pleaded guilty to being in control of a dog which was dangerously out of control and injured a person.

What is the law on XL Bullies? Since February 1, it has been a criminal offence to own an XL bully dog in England and Wales without a certificate. To qualify for an exemption certificate, owners had to prove their XL bully was neutered by June 30. If the pup was less than a year old by January 31, they must have been neutered by the end of 2024, and evidence must be provided. As well as neutering their animals, XL bully owners seeking an exemption must also pay an application fee, hold active public liability insurance for their pets and ensure the dogs are microchipped. People with dangerously out of control dogs can be jailed for 14 years and banned from owning animals, and their pets can be put down.

Lucia Harrington, mitigating, said her client has children aged nine and 11 who both have ADHD and autism. She said: 'I asked her what would happen if she was sent immediately to custody today and she said her children would have to go into care.' As part of the suspended sentence order, the judge ordered the defendant to attend 15 rehabilitation sessions and contribute £1,000 towards the £12,000 kenneling costs which have already been incurred. He also ordered a contingency destruction order meaning Rocky will be destroyed if Boot is unable to keep it under control under the terms of: Pet gates to be fitted at the entrance to her home and her living room entrance. If anyone under the age of 16 visits her home, Rocky needs to be locked in a separate room. Attends sessions with a dog behaviour analyst. The victim's identity is protected by law.

It comes after a ban on XL bully dogs ruled lawful by the High Court in December 2024, despite campaigning owners' claims that it was based on 'unreliable material'. Judges said that ministers had 'sufficient evidence of an alarmingly high level of fatal attacks' by the dog breed when launching the crackdown in 2023. XL bully owner Sophie Coulthard and campaign group Don't Ban Me, Licence Me pursued legal action against the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs over the large bulldog-type American breed being added to a banned list under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Since February 2024, it has been a criminal offence to own an XL bully dog in England and Wales without an exemption certificate - meaning unregistered pets will be taken and owners possibly fined and prosecuted. Opponents argued that the ban was unlawful, insisting it was based on 'unreliable' material and also lacked a 'proper' analysis over its impact while including 'vague' standards that risked people unknowingly committing a criminal offence. But in the new judgment at London's High Court, Mrs Justice Lang dismissed most of the legal challenge over the ban. The judge found that issues such as defining the right types of dog and the human impacts of euthanasia had been considered by Defra. She ruled it was 'not necessary' to interrogate 'each reported case of a dog attack or fatality' ahead of the ban nor to delay the crackdown coming into force 'until an official definition of the XL Bully was prepared'.