York man set American Akita dog on girlfriend leads to 18-month jail sentence

YORK MAN SET AMERICAN AKITA DOG ON GIRLFRIEND LEADS TO 18-MONTH JAIL SENTENCE

A York dog owner who set his American Akita dog onto his 'crying and screaming' girlfriend during an attack has been jailed.

The woman feared for her life as Callum Graham punched her, dragged her to the ground by her hair and head-butted in a car park, said Austin Newman, prosecuting.

At one point, as she tried to run away from him, the 29-year-old “set his dog onto her,” said the barrister.

“It chased after the complainant and bit her on the arm, causing a bite mark.” The dog’s attack also enabled Graham to catch up with the woman and try to drag her back to the car where he had already head-butted her in the face, altering the line of her nose and causing it to bleed, the prosecuting barrister told York Crown Court.

The woman was also injured with a black eye, a bite mark, swelling, and other injuries.

Graham pleaded guilty to causing her actual bodily harm, having a dog dangerously out of control when it injured a person, and criminal damage to a car’s internal door handle, all in July 2023.

Judge Simon Hickey sentenced Graham to 18 months imprisonment, banned him from contacting his ex-partner for 10 years, and ordered the dog to be put to death unless kept under conditions to protect the public.