Stephen Clay, 44, was handling the XL Bully named Diesel when it attacked a barber – the victim has been left with PTSD as well as a serious wound on his left hand
An XL Bully owner has been jailed after his dog attacked a barber and left him with PTSD as well as a serious wound on his left hand.
It is unclear if the victim will ever regain full control of his left hand, Nottingham Crown Court heard. Yesterday Judge Steven Coupland handed down a 25-month prison sentence to Stephen Clay, 44, who was handling the XL Bully named Diesel at the time of the attack. The sentence covered a string of recent offences which also included assaulting four police officers. The judge also approved a destruction order for the dog, although this will not be executed until the end of the appeal period of 21 days.
Clay, who was also banned from having custody of a dog for five years, had already admitted all the offences before Tuesday’s hearing, including the main charge of being the owner of a dog which was dangerously out of control and caused injury to a person
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The offences began with twice having his partner’s XL Bully dog out in public without a muzzle, NottinghamshireLive reports. The attack itself took place on October 9, 2024, and the court was shown CCTV footage of the incident. Jeremy Janes, prosecuting, said: “The victim was just simply walking along the high street off to work, a barber by profession.
“Diesel was being restrained by a chain lead but as the victim walked past, Diesel bit him on the leg, then on the hand. A relatively short-lived assault, but the consequences were significant.” A victim impact statement was read out by Mr Janes, in which the victim said: “The ripple effect has touched every part of my life.”
The man had skin torn on his left hand to the extent that his bone was exposed and it remains unclear whether he will regain full control of it. Diesel was put into kennels following the attack, but Mr Janes said a destruction order to put the dog down was now appropriate.
Mr Janes said: “None of this is Diesel’s fault. Sadly, there seems to be no other sensible alternative.” Mr Janes also described trying to restrain an XL Bully as being akin to “pushing water uphill”.
Other offences which Clay admitted included the theft of £39 worth of Fairy products from Beeston’s B&M store on October 22. Eight days after that, Clay rang 999 and threatened to jump off Trent Bridge.
Officers attended and Clay went on to assault four of them, with Judge Coupland telling the hearing that Clay was drunk at the time of the assaults. Overall, the court heard that Clay, of High Road in Beeston, had 38 previous convictions from 96 previous offences.
Benn Robinson, mitigating, explained Clay had a very difficult start to life which included being placed into the care system after losing his mother. Mr Robinson said: “Because of that background, because of those difficulties, he’s somebody who has always been led towards animals.
“He’s had dogs for the majority of his adult life and for most of it has had no difficulty whatsoever.” Describing how Clay now feels about the October 9 attack, Mr Robinson said: “He is completely and utterly addled with regret about it.”
Mr Robinson said that while Clay has been in custody since October 31, he has helped other prisoners suffering mental health problems and has completed a maths course for which he soon intends to sit an exam. The court also heard Clay has recently found faith and has been baptised a Christian.
Judge Coupland’s sentence covered the three dangerous dog offences, the assault on four police officers and the theft from B&M. The sentence also covered two previously suspended sentences which were activated because of Clay’s most recent offending.
Half of the 25 months will be served in prison before Clay is released on licence and the time he has already served in custody will be deducted. Agreeing that Diesel was not to blame, Judge Coupland told Clay: “You knew those rules but you’re here today because, on a number of occasions, you ignored those rules. The fault is entirely yours. That must have been a terrifying incident so far as [the victim] was concerned.”
Judge Coupland did pay credit to the work Clay has done while in prison though, saying: “Rather than just mooching about, doing nothing in custody, you’ve done the opposite. This is your chance to get out, go back with your partner and put into effect the good work you’ve been doing so far.”
