Owner sentenced after dog bites off postwoman’s finger

Postal February 19 2018

An irresponsible dog owner was sentenced to 160 hours community service, ordered to pay court costs and compensation and contribute towards police kennelling fees.

Stockport postwoman Stacey Brennan suffered a horrendous injury while she was delivering post last July, losing the top of her finger when a dog bit her through the letter box.

The details of the financial penalties ordered by the town’s magistrates court last week were a £750 compensation award to Ms Brennan, £85 court costs and a £300 kennelling payment to the police.

Further ancillary orders included a contingent (suspended) destruction order on the animal, a mandatory short leash and muzzle at all times whilst in public, the compulsory fitting of a wire letter-box cage to the front door and a formal notice that  any ancillary-order violations will bring the case straight back to court and a destruction order made against the dog.

Commenting on the sentencing, CWU national health, safety and environment officer Dave Joyce described it as a “satisfactory and welcomed conclusion and full credit goes to Greater Manchester Police for pursuing this case with vigour and determination.

“This case should serve as a warning to those dog owners with a blasé attitude towards these incidents which happen far too often,” he continued, and suggested that dog owners should consider installing wire letter-box cages to their front doors, as a precaution, before a similar horrendous incident happens involving their dog.

Dave also took the opportunity to remind members not to put their fingers through letterboxes “as you don’t know what’s on the other side and dogs won’t always let you know they’re there.”