Man jailed after XL bully attacked 12-year-old girl

A man has been jailed for owning an XL bully which attacked a 12-year-old girl.

Justin Allison, 38, was jailed for a total of three years for owning a banned breed of dog, being in charged of a dog that was dangerously out of control and possessing a knife.

The court was shown graphic images of the 12-year-old's extensive injuries and had heard she asked her mother to "say a prayer" as they rushed to hospital after the attack in Nantyglo, Blaenau Gwent in October 2024.

Sentencing, Judge Daniel Williams, told Allison of Lilian Grove, Ebbw Vale, he had put his "status and putting swagger in your step, above the safety of anyone else".

Newport Crown Court heard Allison had owned the dog, an XL bully called Rocco, for three years.

The animal weighed between 45kg and 50kg (99lbs and 110lbs) and was put down after the attack.

The court heard Allison, who had been unemployed for a number of years and on benefits, had bought the dog for £1000 as a puppy.

The court was played CCTV footage of the attack and while the incident was not visible, high-pitched screams could be heard for at least 15-20 seconds, which were said to be from the 12-year-old.

In a police interview, the girl said she was "terrified" as the dog ran towards her and recalled the owner, Allison, "didn't appear to be very bothered".

The court heard the girl's father "wrestled" the dog off her before Allison eventually put it on a lead.

In a police interview, Allison admitted straight away that the dog was an XL bully that he had no licence for, although it had been registered with the local vet as "Rocco the Dude".

Allison told officers he used to keep the dog from running out onto the road by putting a bin across an alleyway leading out of the house and on the day of the attack, he said the dog had "escaped by accident" as the black bin had not been in place.

The court was read a victim impact statement from the young girl, who said she "hardly left the house any more" and was "scared" when she saw stray dogs.

She said her injury had meant she was housebound for six weeks after the attack and could not go to school, meaning she "missed my friends and felt excluded".

"I still remember the incident and how scared and upset I was," she added.

The court was shown graphic images of the injury at the time which showed a large chunk missing from the arm just above the elbow, as well as very recent images, which showed a very large red scar on the arm.

The court heard the attack would have an impact on the child "for the rest of her life" but that there was "no functional deficit" with the arm.

Sentencing, Judge Daniel Williams said the girl had "paid a terrible price" for Allison's lack of care.

"Because you put enhancing your status, putting swagger in your step above the safety of anyone else, you demonstrated a reckless disregard for the safety of others.

"It was a powerful dog allowed to go on a rampage because you failed to contain it."

Allison was sentenced to two years and eight months for owning a banned breed of dog, a four month concurrent sentence for being in charge of a dog that was dangerously out of control and was sentenced to an extra four months for possessing a knife, meaning a total jail sentence of 3 years.

He was also told he would serve half his sentence in jail and would be banned from keeping dogs for ten years.

Judge Williams also praised the bravery of the girl's father in trying to tackle the dog during the attack and sent his best wishes for the girl's recovery.

Speaking after, DCI Ginny Davies from Gwent police said people should remain vigilant with their animals.

"This case should serve as a reminder to all dog owners of having your dog under control at all times.

"We urge everyone to follow the legislation and guidance to prevent events like this happening in the future."