Dogsey

A Coventry woman whose dog bit a postwoman has been jailed after refusing to do community work.

Mandie Dunkley had pleaded guilty at the crown court in Leamington earlier this year to being in charge of a dog which was dangerously out of control.

And following a series of adjournments Dunkley, 49, of Bruce Road, Radford, was ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work and to pay £800 costs.

But after doing "absolutely no work" and indicating that she would not comply with the order, Judge Sylvia de Bertodano jailed Dunkley for two months and revoked the costs order.

Her barrister Ian Speed told the court that in April last year Dunkley and her partner Martin Gilvray were living at the address in Bruce Road with Diesel, a pit bull-type dog.

"Diesel was outside secured with a length of rope which he slipped, and subsequently he bit the post lady. The police attended and she admitted culpability."

Dunkley pleaded guilty as long ago as March, and on that occasion the case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report.

"The dog had been in custody for eight months and was just not controllable, and they agreed it should be put down."

And because its destruction had been accepted, Dunkley then abandoned her bid to vacate her plea and was sentenced at the end of July.

Jailing Dunkley, Judge Sylvia de Bertodano told her: "You know why you’re here. Clearly the community order has not worked.

"Dogs clearly need to be kept under control if they are this sort of dog; and in this case your dog was not kept under control and it ended up hurting someone."