Dog attack tenant goes on the run
A housing association tenant whose dog attacked a housing officer has gone on the run after being sentenced to 14 days in prison.
Blackwood Magistrates Court handed Bron Afon Community Housing tenant Nicola Hope, 36, the jail term last week, but yesterday evening she had still not been arrested.
Ms Hope was given the prison sentence for breaching an order banning her from keeping dogs at the Bron Afon property in Blaenavon, south Wales.
She was originally given the order last July, after her Staffordshire bull terrier attacked a housing officer, causing injuries that required the officer to have thirty stitches to her face.
In December Ms Hope was given a 28 day suspended prison sentence for breaching the order. Bron Afon then applied to evict her from the property, on the grounds of ignoring the injunction, causing anti-social behaviour, and having £1,800 of unpaid rent.
She was evicted on 1 February, but Bron Afon staff found her back in the property on 8 February, with two dogs – including one believed to be the same animal that attacked the housing officer.
As well as the prison sentence, her injunction has now been amended so she is banned from the Capel Newydd area of Blaenavon, from approaching the housing officer her dog attacked, and from approaching any member of Bron Afon staff and causing them to feel harassed, alarmed or distressed.
Bron Afon chief executive Duncan Forbes said: ‘The outcome of this case clearly shows just how serious we are about protecting the personal safety of our staff, tenants and the wider community.’
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Readers' comments (4)
Peter | 17/02/2010 1:13 pm
This case is beyond believe that this tenant is being dealt with so leniently considering the previous problems caused by the tenant.
I think the CE is in cloud cuckoo land if he thinks that 'the outcome of the case clearly shows just how serious we are about protecting staff.... and the wider community.' Didn't a previous member of his staff was attacked by the dog owned by this tenant?
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Jack Davies | 17/02/2010 7:51 pm
If the landlord is so concerned about protecting the community they have seemingly ruled out Ground 8? Are they waiting to see if the dog mauls a child or will they still refuse to go on ground 8?
Regardless of the morality of ground 8 that so many decry, it is there for a reason and would its sole use here be less or more moral that what the landlord is allowing to go on?
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Jimmy Devlin | 17/02/2010 8:22 pm
So called "status dogs " are a rapidly growing menace here across Merseyside.
I've lost count of the number of younger local male tenants recently housed in flats by social landlords who appear to flout the "No pets" tenancy rules with complete impunity.Some areas (and Landlord's staff) are much worse than others when it comes to enforcement of tenancy agreements etc.
I believe that unless "No pets" means "No pets" and the policy is enforced with a zero tolerance approach , many more neighbourhoods will soon be turned into No Go Areas.
After all, if social housing managers are competent, it should be relatively simple to enforce this type of tenancy rule.
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Lulu | 18/02/2010 1:58 pm
Evicted on 1 Feb, back in the property on 8 Feb?! If this landlord was serious about getting rid of this woman then as well as invoking Ground 8 (reasonable with that level of arrears) they should have secured the property so that she couldn't get back in. Why was the dog not destroyed after attacking the housing officer last year? I suspect that the community that has had to tolerate Nicola Hope and her dogs does not feel reassured by Duncan Forbes comment.
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