Brighton man jailed over dog mauling

A dog owner from Brighton has been jailed after his Staffordshire bull terrier and bull mastiff cross savaged another man and bit a police officer.

Gareth Clark, 41, of Horton Road, Brighton, was walking with the victim, who was also local, on the beach when the dogs attacked.

At Hove Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 7 March) Clark was jailed for 12 months for each of two offences of allowing his dogs to be dangerously out of control in a public place.

He was also jailed for three months for having the drug ketamine and four months for having a knife or blade on him.

All the sentence are to run concurrently, making his prison term 12 months in total.

Gareth Clark

Clark was also banned indefinitely from having a dog unless he first obtained a court order to lift the ban.

The attack took place on Brighton beach at about 6.15am on Friday 18 May last year.

The 41-year old man who had been walking with Clark was seriously injured by the two dogs which were humanely put down later that day by a vet with Clark’s consent.

The victim was in hospital for three weeks and is still receiving specialist treatment for his injuries, which were multiple bite wounds, Sussex Police said.

The dogs bit a police officer’s leg and hand when he went to help the victim. He was treated in hospital and discharged on the same day.