Worthing court bans man from owning dogs after attacks

Max and Buster, owned by 62-year-old Gerald Isaacs, from Brougham Walk, attacked three people in five months.

Catherine Green, prosecuting, told Worthing Magistrates' Court on Monday, September 24 how Isaacs had been spotted struggling to keep control of the dogs by first victim, Lynne Roberts-Starling, at 9.30am on Boxing Day last year.

One of the dogs lunged at Mrs Roberts-Starling and bit her thumb as she passed Isaacs and the dogs.

On January 12 this year, Isaacs was ordered to muzzle the dogs by Worthing magistrates, after being convicted of failing to keep a dangerous dog under proper control.

On May 6, Isaacs was walking the dogs at Cissbury Ring when they growled at one girl and then leapt at the second one, biting her thigh and knocking her off her bike.

The third incident took place on May 12, when 40-year-old Mark Chandler was walking along Brougham Walk pushing his one-year-old son, Oisin, in a buggy.

Miss Green said Isaacs walked out of his front door with one of his dogs, which on seeing Mr Chandler, lunged towards him, pulling its lead out of Isaacs' hand.

Miss Green added the seven-year-old dogs had now been destroyed.

Richard Finlay, defending, said Isaacs had endured financial and marital breakdown in the previous year, which had led to him moving from a large house to a small flat in Brougham Walk which was "inadequate" for him and the dogs.

He added that Isaacs was "very sorry" for what had happened but was very emotionally attached to the dogs.

Magistrate Janet Clark banned Isaacs from keeping dogs for 10 years and ordered him to pay 50 costs and a total of 425 compensation to the three victims.

For more on this story see the Thursday, September 27 edition of the Worthing Herald.