Murder trial dog faces death sentence
10 December 2001
An American Pitbull Terrier is to be destroyed after it wasclassified as a “weapon” in a murder trial
An American Pitbull, which made legal history when its DNA was usedto help convict a murderer, is to be destroyed.
The dog, Colonel, was with the man convicted of the murder, DuaneDaniels and three other men, during the stabbing of a man outside asouth London nightclub.
Blood from the dog, which was also injured in the incident, was sentto a forensic unit at the University of California, which linked Colonelto Daniels.
The dog was reported to have attacked one of the doormen at the club.
The court at the Old Bailey was told that under section 143 of theCriminal Courts Sentencing Act, a dog can be forfeited, like any other”weapon”.
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Editor of Dogs Today, Beverley Cuddy, said: “It’s a worryingprecedent if dogs are seen as a weapon.
“In the wrong hands any dog can bite. The onus is on the owner -dogs have no choice in who owns them.
“American Pitbulls have been stereotyped as vicious, which isprincipally man’s fault.”
According to Beverley, a study in the United States showed that iftrained properly, American Pitbulls proved “more intelligent” than anyother breed ¢ they can be trained to herd sheep, as well as do obedienceand agility work.
British law states that this breed must be muzzled, microchipped andneutered.
