Bully XL owner charged after calling Leicestershire Police about registering her pet five days late

A young woman has a criminal record after missing the XL thug registration deadline by just a few days. Briony Allen’s mother has had Pippa since she was a puppy.

All XL thugs had to be registered by Wednesday, January 31 this year. On Sunday, February 4, Allen, 22, called Leicestershire Police for advice on obtaining an exemption certificate for Pippa, who he had become the owner of after her mother’s recent death.

Prosecutor Ryan Houghton told Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, May 29: “She has been advised that the exemption period has passed. Officers attended her home address on Thursday, February 22 and police seized the dog.

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“The law is very clear – at the moment owning an XL bully dog ​​is an offense unless you have an exemption certificate. I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to not know after all the publicity.

“This is offset in this case by the fact that the defendant was making efforts to register his dog.” He said a specialist police officer described Pippa as unable to follow commands but being “good-natured” and not aggressive.

Mr Houghton asked magistrates to make a contingent destruction order, which will mean Allen can get the dog back as long as certain requirements are met, including being sterilized and obtaining an exemption certificate.

Ziyad Lunat, representing Allen, of Bassett Street, Woodgate, Leicester, explained to the court that Pippa belonged to Allen’s mother, who had been ill recently and died towards the end of last year.

He said: “Her mother died and the dog, the house and her younger siblings became her responsibility. She was previously her mother’s caretaker and has now taken over the care of her siblings.

“Miss Allen had previously worked in the care sector and planned to do so in the future. Now she will have a criminal conviction against her name, which will make it difficult.”

Allen, who had no previous convictions, was given a six-month conditional discharge and magistrates decided not to order costs against her because of her bond. She will have to pay a £26 victim surcharge and magistrates made the contingent destruction order so Allen can get the dog back when he has an exemption certificate.

The chair of the bench, Susan Halcroft, told Allen: “We sympathize with you. You had a difficult time – you lost your mother and it took a lot of courage to raise your siblings.

“When someone dies, it’s difficult with documents to change things. That’s the way it works, and unfortunately you got caught up in it.”