An Aberdeen dog owner who set his American bulldog on another man in a disturbing attack that was caught on camera has been jailed.
Shocking footage of Aden Robertson encouraging his dog Sid to maul the man on an Aberdeen street was shared on social media and quickly went viral.
The 29-year-old can be heard shouting “get him boy!” and “good boy” as the powerful animal latches its jaws onto the victim’s arm and refuses to let go.
Then, as his victim lies semi-conscious on the ground – and with Sid still biting – Robertson continues the brutal attack by repeatedly punching the man in the face.
The violent encounter, which happened in Stewart Terrace, left the man needing surgery and permanently scarred, Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told.
Watch: Disturbing video of dog attack on Aberdeen street
Fiscal depute Dylan Middleton said witnesses were first alerted to cries of “p*** off, p*** off, get out of here” and “get him, get him boy” at around noon on March 14 last year.
“On looking out the window they saw the dog had bitten and latched on to the complainer’s left arm,” the fiscal said.
“He attempted to shake the dog off but was not able to do so. He was heard to say ‘I’m going to murder your dog, Aden’ whilst Robertson looked on.”
Aden’s victim initially refused to provide any details to the police but later told officers he had been drinking alcohol with Robertson that morning.
He confirmed he was later set upon by Robertson’s dog but refused to provide a statement.
However since the attack was filmed on mobile phone by a female friend of Robertson – who can also be heard encouraging Sid to attack the man – police were able to establish exactly what had happened.
“The footage showed the accused Robertson standing at the door with what appears
to be a knife in his hand,” Mr Middleton said.
“His dog Sid was beside him while he continued shouting at the complainer. Robertson then ran from the door and can be heard shouting ‘get em boy’ and ‘f****** get em’.”
‘Get him Sid, get him’
The video then showed the dog “attached” to the man, who was seen “swinging his arm about in an attempt to get the dog off” as Robertson watched on.
The court was told: “Throughout this, Robertson was heard to be encouraging his dog by shouting ‘go on boy, go on’ and ‘get him Sid, get him’.”
After Sid pulls the victim to the ground the woman filming is heard saying “oh s***” and “Sid’s awa’ to eat him” before rushing to Robertson, who can be seen pummeling the semi-conscious man on the ground.
Robertson eventually stopped the assault and called the dog off by punching and kicking it.
Told police background to events
The victim was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and found to have suffered an injury to the back of his head, a laceration to his right forearm which required cleaning and a laceration to his left forearm which required stitches.
He then underwent surgery to treat the dog bite wounds, two of which needed washed out and closed.
During Robertson’s police interview he claimed he had received a call advising him that the complainer had been “trying to rape” one of the women who had been drinking with them earlier that morning.
He claimed he’d gone home and removed him from the home but that the man returned shortly afterwards with a knife.
Robertson said that when he opened the door, his dog Sid ran out and the man dropped his knife and bolted.
Said dog was ‘trying to lick’ victim
“He claimed that he was trying to shout on his dog to return to the address and that
the dog was purely trying to lick the complainer,” the fiscal continued.
“Robertson stated that he then encouraged his dog to bite the complainer because he was holding a brick, which he assumed was going to be used to strike his dog.”
He did, however, admit punching him twice to the head and told officers he felt “bad” on learning his victim had later required stitches.
Robertson, of Stewart Terrace, Aberdeen, admitted a charge of assault and another of possessing a blade.
Defence agent Tony Burgess said Robertson, who had owned Sid for six years, gave him a matching version of background events to what he told police.
He said when the complainer returned to the address he was armed with a piece of concrete and a knife and that “somehow the door gets opened and the dog got out”.
Robertson initially told the dog “watch him” when he believed the other man was waving the concrete brick around as a threat, the court heard.
“Bizarre as it seems, Mr Robertson gave the order for the dog to attack thinking that the dog was going to be attacked,” Mr Burgess added.
He said Robertson then did “all he could” to successfully get Sid to unlatch his jaw from the man’s arm before giving a “second command to attack for no reason other than to assault the complainer”.
Kicked and punched dog
“Having seen what the dog is doing, and realising it’s all going too far, he does all that he can, he punched and kicks the dog and eventually the dog unlatches at that stage.
“He accepts that in rage he then punched the complainer.”
Sid was taken to kennels following the attack.
Robertson’s not guilty pleas to a dangerous dog charge meant no destruction order was put before the court.
Sheriff Graham Buchanan told Robertson: “I accept there may be some mitigating circumstances here arising from the way the incident started, but the way that you responded is entirely inexcusable.”
He jailed Robertson for 12 months, a sentence he said was “much shorter” than the “significantly lengthy” term he would have imposed were it not for the mitigating factors.
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