A MAN and woman have been sentenced after they admitted having possession of a fighting dog.

Chanel Fong, of Holt Road in Wrexham, appeared at Wrexham Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning alongside co-accused Joshua Jones, of St Mark's Road in Chester.

Both had previously denied an offence of possessing or having custody of a fighting dog, namely a pit bull terrier named Fire.

But 29-year-old Fong and 30-year-old Jones both changed their plea to guilty and were sentenced for the offence.

Fong was also up for sentence regarding a separate matter - in which she assaulted a man named Paul Duffy at the Cochin Inn in Ruthin Road, Wrexham - (the Leader reported on the sentencing of her co-accused in respect of this matter a few weeks ago.)

Prosecutor Will Griffin told the court that police were called to an unrelated matter at a property in Wrexham in May 2022 and whilst they were there, they spotted Fire in the garden.

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The dog was seized and taken to kennels by police for a formal examination due to concerns that she was a pit bull.

Following the examination, which involved a number of observations and measurements, police arrived at the opinion that Fire had a number of characteristics of a pit bull terrier.

As such, Mr Griffin asked that a contingent destruction order be made in respect of the dog.

The costs of housing Fire at kennels, as well as vet and transportation fees, came to just over £5,600.

Mr Griffin also told magistrates of the circumstances surrounding Fong's assault at the Cochin Inn.

He explained that at around 5.30pm on December 3 last year, police received a call from a member of staff at the pub reporting one of their customers had been "severely assaulted" by Fong and 29-year-old Clint Williams, of New Road in Wrexham.

In CCTV footage shown to the court, Williams can be seen pushing the victim to the chest with force, causing him to fall.

In the following commotion, Fong and Williams - along with a third unidentified suspect - could be seen "taking it in turns to assault him," with Fong pictured repeatedly slapping and striking him to the head and face.

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Mr Duffy said he could recall looking up and seeing Fong lifting a wooden chair, then bringing it down on his head.

Mr Griffin said the victim had "no idea" what the incident was about and was left "covered in blood."

Back on the dog offences, defence expert and canine behaviourist Michael Barnett told the court he and his colleague had assessed Fire's behaviour in a number of scenarios.

At no point did she behave aggressively or cause concerns of any threat, he explained.

"She was very willing to work with strangers," he explained.

"She was a very easy dog to work with."

Mr Barnett said he agreed a contingent destruction order - which would contain conditions as to the handling and muzzling of the dog - would be appropriate for Fire.

Joanne Daniels, defending Fong, told the Magistrates that the court was not required to order the immediate destruction of a dog if it was satisfied the animal would not pose a danger to public safety.

Ms Daniels explained: "Fire came from Italy and was sold as a mixed breed."

Her client had no reason to think her breed was not as described by the seller, she said - adding Fong had "very limited" previous convictions.

Emphasising parity of sentence, she said her client had been "no more violent" than her co-accused in the Cochin Inn incident - with Williams being given a 12 month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work.

The Leader:

"The offence was not prolonged," she said.

"On the complainant's own account, it lasted two minutes."

Joshua Jones, defending himself at the hearing, told the court he didn't realise Fire was a pit bull and that he'd been supplied with a passport for her after purchase.

He urged the court to consider the contingent destruction order.

The Magistrates imposed a contingent destruction order for Fire, as agreed by the prosecution and defence, to both defendants.

For the dog offence, Fong and Jones were both fined £40 and ordered to pay £125 costs - as well as £1,451 each towards the kennel and vet costs incurred.

Jones was ordered to pay a £16 victim surcharge.

For the assault at the pub, Fong received a 12 month community order with 20 rehabilitation activity days.

She must pay Paul Duffy £100 in compensation, as well as a £120 fine and a £114 victim surcharge.