A 50-year-old woman has been banned from keeping dogs after her Staffordshire bull terrier caused injury to another person.
Gillian Ashworth, of Sweet Leys Way, in Melbourne, admitted being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control, which caused injury to another person.
The case comes as it has been revealed that more than 400 dangerous dogs have been captured in Derbyshire in the last six years.
Ashworth appeared at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court to admit being in charge of a Staffordshire bull terrier called Logan, which was so dangerously out of control it injured a person. Ashworth previously denied the charge.
The incident happened in Sweet Leys Way, Melbourne, on October 19. Ashworth later appeared at Derby Crown Court to be sentenced.
She was sentenced to 16 months in prison, with the sentence suspended for two years, and was also ordered to pay £400 compensation to the victim with a £140 victim surcharge.
An order was made banning Ashworth from keeping a dog or living at an address where a dog is kept. The order is to remain in force until any further order is made.
The Burton Mail previously reported that the number of dangerous dogs seized in Derbyshire is on the rise - with more than 400 captured in the last seven years.
Derbyshire Police said the increase may be a result of 'greater public awareness' of the action police can take. Animal welfare charities have also called for changes to be made to the Dangerous Dogs Act legislation.
A Freedom of Information request previously seen by the Burton Mail revealed 411 dogs had been seized since 2010, with 176 in 2014 and 2015 compared to just 100 in 2010 and 2011. In 2012 and 2013, there were 135 dogs seized.
A spokesman for Dogs Trust, the UK's largest dog welfare charity, said that despite banning certain types of dogs, such as the pit bull terrier type, the law had not reduced the numbers found in the UK.
Of the 411 dogs seized, 252 were destroyed. The figures also show the majority of dogs seized were cross breeds.
A Derbyshire police spokesman said that it was difficult to explain the gradual increase in the number of seizures of dangerous dogs but that it may be that there is a greater public awareness of action that can be taken.
