It's not Mr Nasi's nasty Falmouth dog
10:40am Thursday 11th October 2012 in News
By Greg Fountain, Reporter/Photographer
An out-of-control dog that bit a Falmouth man's leg has landed its owner, and the man who was walking it, in court.
The dog, a black Schnauzer cross-breed called Morrison, attacked 42-year-old Mr Williams as he was walking down Old Hill on June 21, Truro magistrates heard.
It was being walked on a lead "at full stretch" by Raine Nasi, aged 39, who appeared in court on Thursday listed as the owner of the dog.
But in court, Mr Nasi denied being the owner of the animal, saying his partner of two years, Katri Paakkari, had bought Morrison three years before they got together.
As a dog control order can only be made against the owner of the dog, 26-year-old Paakkari, of Riverview, was called in to court to confirm that she was indeed the owner.
After admitting Morrison was hers, she said: "We are really sorry and we have muzzled him since this incident happened.
"We have taken him to the beach to run and swim, because he likes to play with other dogs. But he can't take a ball and play with it. That's a bit sad."
The victim, Mr Williams, was left with a puncture wound and bruising to his left thigh that required medical treatment at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, prosecutor Gail Hawkley said.
"The victim says he walked past, first of all, Mr Nasi but then, when he walked past the dog, it bit him," she explained.
Last year, Morrison had bitten "a young girl's hand while it was on The Moor," the court heard - an incident that was dealt with through the use of restorative justice.
Using the 141-year-old powers available to them under the Dogs Act 1871, the magistrates ordered Paakkari to keep her dog under control and muzzled at all times while in a public place.
If she doesn't comply with this order, the court can impose a fine or see to it that the dog be destroyed.
Paakkari was also ordered to pay £85 costs, while the case against Mr Nasi was withdrawn.
