Man who killed dog in Chester handed five-year ban from owning dogs
Ian Williams claimed that he killed the dog in self-defence
A man who claimed to have killed his dog in self-defence at an address in Chester has been banned from owning dogs for five years.
Ian Williams, aged 19 and from Winsford, was handed the order - which disqualifies him from owning, keeping or controlling a dog - as he appeared before Chester Magistrates' Court on Tuesday (April 22nd).
Officers from Cheshire Police were anonymously tipped off about Williams on May 25th 2023, with reports saying that he had stabbed and killed his American Bulldog after it had attacked him at a property in Chester.
The force visited an address on Clover Place and discovered the dog wrapped in a bloody duvet sheet under the ground.
Traces of blood were found in a number of places around the property, including on the door handle, as well as on the carpet leading into the bedroom. Bloodstained footprints were also found.
Officers were later able to find Williams at his address on Nixon Drive in Winsford, where they arrested him. During this arrest, he showed the force the clothes that he had been wearing at the time of the death.
He would later explain that he had no choice but to kill the animal after it attacked him, as well as throwing the knife away; however, he insisted he did not cause any intentional suffering to the dog.
Williams would provide a written statement saying the same thing, but would refuse to answer questions during interrogations.
After an investigation, officers formally charged Williams with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
At a pre-trial hearing, seeing the evidence stacked against him, Williams pled guilty to the charge on March 21st.
Speaking on the ruling, Detective Sergeant Helen Newman from Cheshire Police said that Williams would not be inflicting pain on animals for years to come.
"Animals are reliant on their owners to ensure their needs are met and they are kept safe and healthy. Owning an animal is a privilege and ensuring appropriate care is a key part of the responsibility we have when looking after them," she said.
"Despite his initial denials that he killed his pet in self-defence, the evidence we found against Ian Williams proved otherwise, and that Williams killed the animal in what was a deliberately cruel attack.
"Our evidence gathered left him with no choice but to plead guilty and I am glad to see that Williams has today been held accountable for his actions. Alongside his community service, most importantly, he will be unable to own or keep any breed of dog until the year 2030."
On top of his ban from owning dogs, Ian Williams was also given a community order and must now complete 200 hours of unpaid work.