A former boxer whose dog attacked and killed an Aberdeen puppy gave the thumbs up as he walked out of court a free man today.
Craig Dick’s Staffordshire Bull Terrier ran at and repeatedly bit Toni Bennett’s nine-month-old Cavapoochon Ziggy as she walked him on playing fields in Sheddocksley.
Dick’s friend, Craig Strachan, punched the Staffie to death as he tried to separate the animals and Ziggy eventually had to be put down after suffering a catalogue of horrific injuries.
Both Dick, 34, and Strachan, 26, had been on trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court accused of a serious assault to danger of life on Brett Lynch at the playing fields on the same date, September 6, but the Crown ultimately dropped that charge.
Mr Lynch suffered horror injuries including a scalp haematoma, a 10cm gash to the left side of his head, a cut to his buttock penetrating the muscle, and cuts to his thumb and finger which left them “hanging off”.
Dog punched to death
Fiscal depute Lynne MacVicar told the court: “Ms Bennett had been walking her nine-month-old Cavapoochon puppy, Ziggy, at the locus at approximately 8.20pm.
“She saw Dick’s dog appear from the bottom end of the field, run towards her dog and begin attacking Ziggy by biting him.”
Ms Bennett ran over and shouted at the dog, two witnesses and Strachan also tried to separate the animals.
Strachan eventually managed to halt the attack by punching Dick’s dog to death.
Ms Bennett posted details of the incident on social media, which led to Dick being identified as the owner of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
Ziggy was initially treated at a local vet and found to have:
- A damaged shoulder
- Haemorrhaged eyes
- A suspected punctured lung
- Fractured ribs
- Extensive tissue damage due to trauma
He was taken to a specialist vet in Livingstone and, despite starting to make a recovery, a puncture wound to his chest became infected and he had to be put down.
The court heard Ms Bennett, who previously spoke to the Press & Journal about the terrifying incident, was left “shocked and upset”.
Ms MacVicar said Dick and Strachan turned up at an address on Tay Road, Aberdeen, around 11pm.
Dick was carry the body of his dead dog when he “pushed his way inside” past the female householder.
The fiscal depute said Dick, who was “crying”, put the dog in the bathroom but was told to get it out of the house.
Dick replied with “something rude” and when the woman told him not to speak to her like that, he retorted: “Just shut your face or I’ll put a blade through you.”
He was in possession of one of the woman’s own knives.
‘Mr Dick was very distressed about that and was crying’
Dick, described in court papers as a prisoner of HMP Grampian, pled guilty to being in charge of the dangerous Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
He also admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, while Strachan, of Broomhill Avenue, Aberdeen, admitted two charges of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
Sentence was deferred on Strachan until next month for reports.
Graham Morrison, Dick’s solicitor, said his client’s dog, which he’d had for a few years, had gotten loose during a falling out and fight between friends.
He said: “There had never been any kind of incident with this dog before.
“He was very attached.
“It was his co-accused that broke up the dog fight and, in doing that, he killed Mr Dick’s dog. That’s how the dog came to die.
“Mr Dick was very distressed about that and was crying.”
‘I was drugged oot my nut’
He also said the former professional boxer had given up the sport to focus on family life.
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin said she noted that Dick had spent the equivalent of a 22-month prison sentence remanded over the matter and admonished him due to time served.
Dick also faced a further charge of assault to injury and robbery.
Both Dick and Strachan denied the charges and, following the two alleged victims giving evidence in the trial, the Crown decided it would no longer be seeking convictions in relation to those two charges.
While giving evidence, Mr Lynch was asked by Ms MacVicar how he came to have the injuries.
He yawned, shrugged and said: “I’ve no idea. I remember I got jumped at the football pitches. That’s all I remember.”
Asked who had jumped him, he replied: “Not a clue. Someone Scouse.”
He went on to say: “I don’t remember most of the night at all. I was drugged oot my nut.”
Asked about the injury to his thumb and finger, Mr Lynch said: “Aye, they were hanging off.”
Ms MacVicar asked the witness if he had any explanation for blood containing his DNA being found on Dick’s clothing. He said: “None at all. No idea.”
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