New Sentencing Guidelines for Dangerous Dog Offences

New Sentencing Guidelines for Dangerous Dog Offences
To: All Branches
Dear Colleagues,
Further to LTB 175/2016, issued on 17th March 2016, those interested can watch the Chairman of the Sentencing Council, Lord Justice Treacy, introduce the new dangerous dogs offences court sentencing guidelines in a two and a half minutes YouTube video Clip.
Please follow the link: https://youtu.be/zpg6-RN_3yc  
As previously reported, the Sentencing Council has introduced revised guidelines for judges and magistrates on the sentencing of dangerous dog offences, following changes to the dangerous dogs act offences legislation in 2014 which came about as a direct result of the CWU ‘Bite-Back’ Campaign. The main change extended the law to cover attacks that occur on private property and brought in higher sentences as well as the introduction of control orders, new police seizure powers and the introduction of a new offence to cover attacks on guide dogs. The legislation made very significant increases to maximum sentences. For example, the maximum sentence for an offence where someone is killed increased from two to 14 years and for where someone is injured from two to five years. The guidelines will come into force in July 2016.
Full details of the guidelines can be found in LTB 175/2016.
Yours sincerely
 
Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer