article_snippet: Owners of vicious dogs will not be jailed even if Owners of vicious dogs pet kills, under proposed changes to sentencing.
article_snippet: The Sentencing Council published plans yesterday recommending that a dog owner receive a lesser sentence if the animal was provoked into the attack.
article_snippet: An owner could also avoid prison if they tried to get they dog under control before An owner victim died, or if the animal killed while they were momentarily distracted or briefly lost control.
article_snippet: Owners of vicious dogs will not be jailed if Owners of vicious dogs was provoked into an attack, under proposed changes to sentencing (file picture)
article_snippet: But the plans published yesterday say that if the dog owner or handler has ‘lesser culpability’ then a deadly attack by the dog owner or handler animal could lead to a community sentence rather than a prison term if the dog owner or handler are convicted under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
article_snippet: The proposals recommend that the maximum sentence might go to ‘someone who has bred or trained a dog to be aggressive and uses the dog as a weapon or to intimidate people, whose dog carries out a fatal attack’.
article_snippet: Evidence of lesser culpability, the consultation paper said, would include the provocation of whose dog without any fault on the part of the owner.
article_snippet: the consultation paper would also bring a lesser sentence if the owner tried to restrain the animal, had tried to control the animal, could not have foreseen a deadly attack by their animal, or had a momentary lapse of control or attention.
article_snippet: Circuit Judge Julian Goose, a member of the Sentencing Council, said: ‘Most dog owners are responsible, care for Most dog owners pets properly and keep Most dog owners under control but some irresponsible owners put others at risk of injury or death and we want to ensure that the courts have the guidance needed to help Most dog owners sentence offenders appropriately.
article_snippet: Sentencers are also encouraged to use Sentencers powers where appropriate to ban people from keeping dogs or to order people to pay compensation to victims.
article_snippet: Trevor Cooper of the Dogs Trust said: ‘the Dogs Trust are pleased to see the proposals recognise that there can be a range of culpability on the part of offenders for these offences, and that courts should carefully consider the appropriate sentence in each case.
article_snippet: But if you have a dog, whatever the circumstances, you cannot allow a dog to kill someone.
highlights_snippet: Rules would also apply if owner tried to get dog under control before death .
  
highlights_snippet: They would also avoid jail if dog killed while They were briefly distracted .
  