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XL bully to be destroyed after attacking owner while he was having sex

Reuters An American bully on a leadReuters
American XL bully dogs have been involved in several high-profile attacks

An American XL bully attacked its owner as he was having sex, a court heard.

The two-year-old dog named Hank bit Scott Thurston, 32, at his home in Glanaman, Carmarthenshire, on 2 August.

Llanelli Magistrates heard that his partner Leanne Bell called police to Jones Terrace in the early hours of the morning.

An order was made that the dog be destroyed - however, it will not be for at least 28 days pending any possible appeals.

Bodycam footage shot by officers showed them arriving at the property, and Mr Thurston can be heard trying to muzzle the dog in the garden.

Ms Bell was heard saying to the two police officers: "I've got four kids, I love the dog, but I can't have him around my kids."

The court heard that Ms Bell and Mr Thurston had been arguing before becoming intimate, and the dog attacked and bit Mr Thurston when they began having sex.

Mr Thurston suffered bites to his left forearm and to his chin, but refused offers of an ambulance.

The dog was eventually contained in a downstairs room.

Police later seized the dog on 19 August, and it has been housed in kennels at Dyfed-Powys Police headquarters.

The force was seeking a destruction order under Section 2 of the Dogs Act 1871, on the basis that the dog was dangerous.

Alamy Front close up view of an XL bully dog, taken in the UK in June 2022Alamy
The American XL bully is being added to the list of banned dogs in England and Wales

Frederick Lewendon, for the police, told the court there had been "a real potential for the incident to be far worse" and the dog was a significant safeguarding concern for Dyfed-Powys Police.

He warned that although the injuries to Mr Thurston had not been serious, the "next time it might not be a small bite to him, it might be to one of the children".

Ian Birch, representing Mr Thurston, said that with "proper contingencies" the dog could be safely returned to the home as there had been "no previous incidents".

Magistrates granted the destruction order on the basis that they had "significant safeguarding concerns" about the dog with four young children in the household.

They said it "could not be safely returned". An order for £800 in costs was made too.

Mr Thurston and his partner Leanne Bell declined to comment as they left court.

Banned list

From 31 December 2023 all XL bullys must be kept on a lead and muzzled in public and from 1 February next year it will be illegal to own one, unless the owner has successfully applied for it to be exempt.

Dogs on the exempt list will have to be neutered and microchipped.

Owners who do not wish to keep their dogs can have them euthanised and apply for compensation for the cost.

XL bullys were added to the banned list following a number of attacks involving the breed.