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Workman receives compensation for dog bite

Published 16/04/2007

A workman who was mauled by a dog while carrying out work at a home in Sussex has been awarded in excess of £5,000 in compensation.

Robert Ferguson successfully sued the dog’s owner, Miss Vaughan, for special damages for personal injury at Lewes County Court, though she claimed that she could only afford to pay the £5,262 sum in monthly instalments of £20.

Citing a search conducted of the Land Registry, Mr Ferguson’s barrister argued that Miss Vaughan’s home has a value of £405,000 and that therefore she has the funds to pay such an amount, despite her recently going through a costly divorce.

"If you can’t pay immediately it is up to the claimant to take enforcement proceedings," Judge John Merrick told the defendant.

"The reality is that if you were to pay by instalments of £20 a month it is going to take an awful long time to pay."

Currently, increasing numbers of ‘dog asbos’ are being issued across the country, with owners facing fines of up to £1,000 for failing to keep their pets out of some public places, including playgrounds.

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