A man whose two dogs were shot dead by police as he was Tasered has been given a suspended sentence. Louie Turnbull, 46, pleaded guilty to owning two dangerously out of control dogs following an incident in Poplar, east London, in May.
The attack occurred on Commercial Road when Turnbull's dogs, which were not on leads, attacked another dog and its owner, Denisa Shyti. Ms Shyti sustained leg injuries, though she did not require hospital treatment. Turnbull attempted to intervene and separate the animals.
At Snaresbrook Crown Court, Turnbull was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months. He broke down in court, describing the dogs as 'like family' and saying he had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder since their deaths.
District Judge Oscar Del Fabbro stated that Turnbull's failings led to the incident, noting that Turnbull should not have had the dogs due to a pre-existing 20-year ban from owning dogs, imposed in 2019 for a similar offence. A further four-year ban was added, to run concurrently with the existing prohibition.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is continuing to investigate the actions of the officers who shot the dogs. Video footage showed the moment Turnbull was Tasered and the animals killed on Limehouse Cut.
