An XL Bully dog owner who gave a vet a “punishment beating” for failing to save his pet’s life has been jailed.
Arbaz Hamza Hamid, 24, left vet Tim Stead with a bloody nose after punching him in the head after his dog died during surgery.
Stead, who was hit so hard that his glasses imprinted on his skin, also needed stitches in three of his cuts.
Hamid, accompanied by four others, entered the surgery in York last January to confront the vet.
Hamid confronted the vet in his surgery
North Yorkshire PoliceThe group, comprised of three men and four women, claimed that they all owned the pooch.
Through his barrister, Rachel Webster, Hamid claimed that the “family pet” had cost £4,000 to £5,000.
Webster said that the group were not all part of the same family.
York Crown Court heard that the sickly dog needed two-hourly injections and constant care from the five joint owners.
A man and a woman, who were part of the group who later ambushed Stead, brought the dog to the vets on January 16.
They were told that the canine needed surgery but its chances of surviving were slim, at just one in five.
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Hamid's barrister said that the dog was a family pet, though the prosecution has disputed this
Wikipedia CommonsAfter agreeing to the procedure, the XL dog entered the surgery but the operation was not a success.
Stead shared the bad news with the man and woman over the phone, however, the distraught owners decided to take matters into their own hands and went to confront the vet.
After Hamid attacked the vet, the group left the practice.
Prosecution has disputed the alleged price of the dog, believing it to cost around £20,000.
Judge Sean Morris also rejected the defendant’s claim that the dog was a family pet and believed that it could have been used for breeding.
“This was the loss of a big investment, that is what this was all about," he told Hamid.
York Crown Court heard that the sickly dog needed two-hourly injections and constant care from the five joint owners
Wikimedia Commons
“I don't accept this was an impulsive act by you. This was the coup de grace of an increasingly hostile situation.”
He added: “People such as vets or doctors or nurses perform an important function for others and this was a punishment beating by you. There has to be an element of deterrent so people such as this vet, nurses, taxi drivers and others know that the courts will protect them.”
Webster said that Hamid loved the dog deeply and acted impulsively when he attacked Stead, for which he feels remorseful.
The XL Bully ban will come into force on February 1.
Owners who want to keep their dogs must register them for an exemption certificate by January 31.
The dogs must also kept on a lead and muzzled when out in public.
They will also need to have it neutered, microchipped and insured.
Selling, breeding, abandoning or giving them away is also now illegal.
Owners in England and Wales without an exemption will have to euthanise their dog or face a possible criminal record and fine.