Pitbull to be destroyed after landmark court case

A pitbull terrier will be be put down following a landmark court case which established its owner failed to control it properly.

Owner Nugent Rowe, was first in the dock in December 2007 when neighbours in Kingshill Drive, Kenton, told police they were scared to leave their homes because of the hound.

Rowe was given a final chance to keep the dog, named Chrome, in May, but failed to keep the dog out of harm's way and within weeks he was let loose again.

Chrome smashed his way through garden fences, ripped clothes off washing lines and barked relentlessly at neighbours - leaving them petrified.

One neighbour, 93-year-old Elsie Scott, told the Observer: "It was pretty terrifying feeling like I couldn't go into my back garden because of that dog.

"I don't dislike dogs at all but an animal like that could have killed me, it looked incredibly fierce."

When the dog was found to be running riot in neighbours' gardens again it was taken by officers for a second time.

Since then it has remained in a kennel for the past eight months at the cost of about £12 a day. It now faces being put down after magistrates ruled it to be too much of a menace.
Since the Dangerous Dogs Act was brought in 18 years ago, breeding, buying or selling a pitbull has become illegal, and any found not to be registered were automatically ordered to be put down.

In 1997 the act was amended to say they should only be destroyed if they were deemed dangerous. In cases where no injuries have been sustained because of the dog, owners are asked to ensure the pet is insured, kept inside the house and muzzled.

It is believed that Rowe's failure to do this makes him the first person ever to be convicted of breaking the order - making the animal uninsurable.

Kenton West Safer Neighbourhood Team Sergeant, John Burnett, said: "This case has been going on since 2007 and hopefully this is the end of a very long road.

"Thankfully, residents in Harrow will no longer have to suffer because of this very dangerous dog."

Rowe now has 28 days to appeal against the conviction, which also prevents him from owning a dog in the next two years.