The owner of two dogs which savaged 10 people in a 'horrific and nightmarish' street attack has been jailed for 12 months. Spencer Brown, 22, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of owning dogs which were dangerously out of control in a public place.
The attacks happened after Brown's Staffordshire bull terrier crosses, Tilly and Freak, escaped from his home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, on 22 July. Passers-by suffered bites to their hands, arms and legs as the dogs marauded without leashes, and those who came to their aid were also bitten. Police subdued one animal with a fire extinguisher and dog catcher pole while a passer-by dragged the other into a cage.
Weeks earlier, on 16 May, a man suffered multiple cuts, wounds and a broken finger after one of the dogs attacked him during a confrontation with Brown. Jason Griggs has been left scarred and unable to work as a self-employed electrician since the attack. Brown admitted owning a dog which caused injury in a private place and possession of cannabis.
Jailing Brown at Lewes Crown Court, Judge Anthony Scott-Gall described the offences as 'grave and quite horrific', leaving victims 'savagely mauled'. He ordered the destruction of both dogs, saying they acted 'without rhyme or reason' in a 'terrifying orgy of violence'. Brown was banned from owning dogs for life.
The sentencing comes days after new guidelines were introduced for judges dealing with owners of dangerously out-of-control dogs, providing for tougher sentences of up to 18 months' jail, or a maximum of two years in exceptional cases. Brown, unemployed and a father of one, has eight previous convictions for theft and shoplifting.
Mark Glendenning, defending, said Brown wanted to apologise for both attacks and noted there had been no previous concerns about the dogs. Brown had a difficult upbringing and was homeless from age 15. 'The dogs were his family,' Glendenning said, adding that they were always leashed and had never been complained about before.
