The owner of an XL Bully that attacked a mother and ripped off her hijab in front of her children has avoided jail. Tomasz Wegner, 45, was handed a suspended sentence at Mold Crown Court after his dog attacked Yasmin Begum on Wrexham High Street on August 31, 2024.
The court heard that Ms Begum was standing with her two children when she saw Wegner approaching with his dog. She asked him to move away because she was scared, but he followed her and shouted aggressively while she hid in a doorway. The XL Bully then grabbed and dragged her, removing her hijab, and tried to bite her forehead but did not pierce the skin.
A witness said Wegner was clearly intoxicated and at one point fell on top of Ms Begum. Another witness rushed to help after hearing her scream, reattaching the dog's muzzle and holding it by its chain until police arrived. In a victim impact statement, Ms Begum said she was left psychologically traumatised and her children were extremely frightened.
Wegner, who has six previous convictions for nine offences, initially denied being drunk and claimed he believed his dog was a Cane Corso. However, Judge Simon Mills noted that Wegner eventually admitted it was an XL Bully, meaning it could not be returned to him under law. The dog was euthanised.
Wegner pleaded guilty to possessing a fighting dog and being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison, suspended for two years, and must complete 15 days of rehabilitation. He has also been banned from keeping dogs for two years.
