'Loyal' dog to be destroyed for mauling man during Castleford baseball bat attack

Del Midgley, who has a lengthy criminal record, allowed his Staffordshire Bull Terrier to attack a police officer when they turned up to arrest him, then racially abused officers and tried to bite them himself.

The 54-year-old was jailed for nearly four years at Leeds Crown Court after admitting a raft of offences including GBH and allowing a dangerous dog to be out of control. The dog was also ordered to be put down.

The court heard that Midgley had known the victim for around 20 years and the pair did not get on. On June 30 last year the victim and a friend went to Midgley's home on Robin Hood Street in Castleford, but the victim stayed outside.

He was then "enticed" to come in, but the court heard it was a trap laid by Midgley, who was inside waiting with the bat. He began swinging at the man who then tried to grab the weapon. The judge later described it as the "most cowardly" attack.

The victim was able to get out of the home and into the street, followed by Midgley who continued to hit him. His dog was with him, and when Midgley relented, the dog pounced and mauled the man for around 40 seconds. The man suffered a broken rib and a punctured lung from the bat attack, and lacerations to his skull and ears from the dog.

After the police were called, they found Midgley in an irate state and he tried to shut the door on the officers, but they were able to force their way inside. The court was told that Midgley allowed the dog to intimidate the officers who had to withdraw, but not before it jumped at one officer and sank it's teeth into her arm with such ferocity it left the muscle exposed.

Midgley was Tasered and brought under control, but after claiming he had a heart condition, the officers took him to hospital. However, he continued to struggle and be abusive. He racially abused two officers who had to restrain him when he tried to bite them. Finally, he urinated in the police van.

Held on remand since his arrest, he admitted section 20 GBH, two counts of being a a person with a dangerous dog that caused serious injury and two of racially-aggravated harassment. He has 48 previous convictions for 164 offences, including robbery, ABH and affray.

An order was made to have the dog put down and Midgley was given a 17-year ban from keeping animals.

Mitigating, Chloe Hudson said that Midgley did not object to the dog being euthanised. She said that on the day of the attack, Midgley had been drinking heavily and in relation to the dog, she added: "It was clearly very loyal and he [Midgley] should have intervened. He is beginning to realise that offending of this type will just end up in further custodial sentences.

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She said of the relationship with the victim: "There's a long history of knowing one another and there's not always been a mutual liking, but it does not excuse what went on, it should not have happened." Miss Hudson said Midgley was having drug counselling in prison and was enrolling in courses to better himself.

The judge, Recorder Marco Giuliani, jailed him for 45 months, and activated and additional two months of a suspended sentences he was on at the time for a driving matter.