37% of Britons say negligent owners of killer dogs should face life imprisonment – and the majority support longer than two year sentences when dangerous dogs cause injury
A consultation on extending the jail terms for owners of dangerous dogs has been launched by ministers, with the suggestion of extending the standard two year sentence to ten if the pet injures someone and life for a fatal attack. New research by YouGov finds that the majority of Britons support longer than two year sentences in both cases, and over two thirds support life imprisonment for owners of killer dogs.
In total 86% of British adults say that if 'dog owners allow their dogs to be dangerously out of control and the dog kills someone' they should face a maximum prison sentence of more than two years.
20% say the sentence in such cases should be ten years, 11% say fourteen years and over two thirds (37%) say the owner should face life imprisonment.
For dog owners that allow their pet to be dangerously out of control and it injures someone, 68% of the public say the maximum sentence should be more than two years.
25% say the sentence in such cases should be five years and 19% say it should be ten years.
Sixteen people have been killed by dangerous dogs since 2005, including a fourteen year-old girl mauled by bull mastiffs and Staffordshire bull terriers near Wigan in March. The consultation will run until 1st September, and the results will be used to inform the recommendations put forward in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill.
Image from Getty.
