Mayor slams owner of Sarge the staffy after horrendous attack

The owner of a staffy that attacked a teenage girl and later a council officer has pleaded guilty to irresponsible pet ownership, after an initial appeal to protect the dog, which has since been destroyed.

The owner of a vicious dog that bit a teenage girl and a council worker has been slammed by a local mayor after pleading guilty to multiple irresponsible pet ownership charges following a high-profile campaign defending the dog.

Jamie Christopher Hanlon pleaded guilty to five charges in Pine Rivers Magistrates Court last Friday, after Sarge the american staffordshire terrier attacked a teenage girl in Deception Bay in December 2018 and attacked a regulatory services officer the following month.

Earlier:

Family fights to save dog that bit woman

Sarge the staffy to die after campaign to save him rejected

Hanlon, from Deception Bay, was fined $10,000 for allowing the attacks to occur.

The woman — who was attacked when she entered the property where the dog was kept — suffered wounds to her chest and upper thigh and was treated in hospital while the officer was bitten on the arm and required medical treatment.

The dog — which had been declared dangerous by Moreton Bay City Council in 2016 – was destroyed by authorities despite a fruitless petition that gathered 1400 signatures in favour of saving the its life.

Sarge the Staffy was given a destruction order by the Moreton Bay Regional Council after attacking two people. Picture: Sarge's family.

Last year, a council spokeswoman said owners of regulated dogs were prohibited from keeping animals within their dwelling in order to prevent these types of incidents from occurring.

Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery said it was a distressing case, but welcomed the court’s ruling in the interests of keep the Moreton Bay community safe.

“Dogs aren’t born bad they’re raised badly, so the tragedy of this whole situation is that it’s the owner’s fault,” Cr Flannery said.

“There’s nothing noble in his late guilty plea, because a court can’t undo the emotional and physical scars for those poor victims.

Photos showing a woman's injuries sustained from a bite from Sarge the staffy. Source: Moreton Bay Regional Council

Photos showing a woman's injuries sustained from a bite from Sarge the staffy. Source: Moreton Bay Regional Council

“We’ve seen this kind of thing before and it needs to stop, which is why council takes a zero tolerance approach to irresponsible pet ownership.

“The tragic fact is Moreton Bay Region has shockingly high rates of animal attacks, and I intend turning those statistics around.

“With the new cabinet now sworn in, I’ll be asking for meetings with the Agriculture Minister and new Attorney-General to progress our lobbying about the need to give dog attack victims greater power and support by changing the Animal Management Act and QCAT Act.

“This follows the motion Moreton Bay Regional Council successfully passed at the 2019 LGAQ Conference with Goondiwindi Regional Council.

“Everyone in our community has the right to be safe, and owners of dogs who have a blatant disregard for the laws that keep us all safe are robbing people of that right.

“Council will not hesitate to throw the book at anyone who wants to test the boundaries of the laws we have in place to keep people safe.

“So if you see a dangerous or menacing animal, please report it to council and know that we will handle all matters sensitively.

“I want to thank the brave men and women in our regulatory services team who regularly put themselves in danger in the line of duty, and for all their hard work investigating this matter to ensure that the dog’s victims got the right outcome in court.

“I hope this serves as a warning - the law is black and white and if you do not take responsibility for the control of your animal you will face the consequences.”