A DOG that injured a four-year-old child while ‘dangerously’ out of control in Cowley will be put down, magistrates ruled.

Charlotte McCollin, 30, was found guilty in her absence last November of being the owner or the person in charge of a dangerously out of control dog that injured a young child in Sandy Lane.

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The young boy was attacked by the dog, a brown ‘bully-breed’ crossbreed called Sandy, on August 27, 2020, at around 2.30pm.

It took more than six months for McCollin, who failed to turn up to her trial last year, to be sentenced for the offence.

Court records show she has now been jailed for 16 weeks at Oxford Magistrates’ Court and banned from keeping a dog for three years. McCollin, of no fixed address, must pay £100 in compensation to Sandy’s victim.

The justices ruled that Sandy would be destroyed as a ‘danger to the public’ unless an appeal were lodged in 21 days.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward