A man with more than nine million subscribers to his YouTube page has been convicted of allowing his dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place.
Oladeji Olatunji, 23, known as Deji, of Church Street, Holme, Peterborough, denied owning the German Shepherd dog Tank, which attacked his neighbour on July 23 last year.
The victim, her daughter and one-year-old grandson went to Olatunji's home in July last year to collect a parcel but on their way out Tank escaped and chased after them barking.
The dog bit her several times and efforts by Olatunji and his mother Olayinka Olatunji, 53, who also lived at the property, to bring the dog back under control failed.
Amid the chaos, the victim's son-in-law arrived home and was also bitten by the dog as he got out of his van.
The dog was finally dragged inside by Oladeji Olatunji's father.
The victim suffered multiple puncture wounds, extensive bruising and scratches to her legs and chest and was twice admitted to hospital after they became swollen and infected.
The dog was seized from kennels by police on 28 July 2018.
Olayinka Olatunji pleaded guilty to two counts of allowing a dog to be out of control in a public place but her son initially denied the charge, saying the dog was not his, and claimed it had been wrongly taken by police.
However, at a hearing in September this year, Deji Olatunji also pleaded guilty to being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control and both were sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court yesterday (17 December).
Deji Olatunji was fined £2,500 and ordered to pay £5,845 in kennel costs along with prosecution costs and a victim surcharge. Olayinka Olatunji was given a 12-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay £8,000 in compensation to the victim and £2,082 in kennel costs. Both were issued with restraining orders in relation to the victims.
Judge Farrell commented that CCTV showed the dog was "completely out of control."
PC Jemma Russell, investigating, said: "This was, understandably, a frightening experience for the victim and her family. All dogs, big or small, can be dangerous if they are not properly trained and under control. It is the owner's responsibility to ensure their dog remains under control at all times, including when at home.
"It's clear from the CCTV footage that the family didn't have control of Tank, who was behaving aggressively and roaming the street without a collar. It is an offence to own a dangerous dog, or to have a dog that becomes dangerously out of control.
"I hope this shows we take incidents of dangerous and uncontrolled dogs very seriously and will do all we can to protect the public."
On December 13 at Cambridge Crown Court, the judge ordered Tank be destroyed.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here