Dog which caused ‘appalling’ injuries at Kinmel Bay pub to be put down

The dog, a Rottweiler cross called Kilo, was responsible for the injuries inflicted at The Magpie and Stump pub at Palins Holiday Park in Kinmel Bay on September 15, 2023.

In March, his co-owner, Thomas Skillen, 29, of Marine Road, Abergele, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years’ imprisonment.

His stepfather, Ian Loftus, 59, of Argoed, Kinmel Bay, was also handed a 14-month prison sentence, suspended for a year-and-a-half, for his involvement in the incident.

They had both previously admitted a charge of being responsible for an out of control dog causing injury.

At Mold Crown Court today (June 4), Judge Niclas Parry ruled that the dog will be destroyed.

READ MORE:

Abergele man’s dog caused ‘absolutely appalling’ injuries at Kinmel Bay pub

WATCH: Commotion at Kinmel Bay pub where dog attacked four people

L: Thomas Skillen. R: The Magpie and Stump (Image: North Wales Police / GoogleMaps)

The court had previously heard that Kilo seen jumping on tables in the outdoor seating area of the pub, which Skillen was asked to stop him from doing.

Loftus, meanwhile, later returned to the beer garden with the dog, who then bit a security staff member, Korena James.

Closed circuit television footage showed repeated shouts of “get the dog in the car”, as well as Loftus, appearing intoxicated, holding the dog and seeming to hit it.

The dog then bit Loftus before attacking Steven Moore to his right upper arm, leaving him with 11 bite mark injuries, one of which measured roughly three inches in length.

Mr Moore was left with permanent scarring on his forearm, had to take six weeks off work as a labourer, and also attended Ysbyty Glan Clwyd.

Another person, Benjamin Rogers, was bitten at least three times, while a fourth victim, Kerri Churchill, was on holiday at the park with her children at the time.

Both sustained puncture wounds and bruising, while Ms Churchill was bitten the right side of her stomach, causing “instant pain”.

Since their arrests, the dog has been looked after in a kennel, incurring costs of more than £2,000.

During today’s hearing, prosecutor Matthew Kerruish-Jones described the incident as an “aggravated offence”.

But Simon Killeen, defending, invited a “contingent destruction order”, which would mean that the dog would avoid being put down but have “multiple conditions” to abide by.

These would have included being muzzled at all times in public, and wearing a harness, with any lead attached to it no more than one metre in length.

Paul Moroney, an animal behaviourist, compiled a report on Kilo, having visited him in his kennel on multiple occasions.

He recalled that, during his first assessment, when in the presence of kennel staff, even a slight movement caused the dog’s vocalisation to increase and facial expression to change.

But he described him as a “completely different dog” since then, having taken food from his hand and exhibiting much calmer body language.

Despite this, Judge Parry labelled the initial attack a “savage episode” and a “terrifying incident”, and said there was “overwhelming evidence” that could “only drive any court” to reach his decision to put the dog down.

Judge Parry added: “Nothing that I have heard has persuaded me that any measure that could be taken, other than a destruction order, would protect the public safety.”