A woman was charged today in connection with a dog attack that took place in January.

Johnae Furbert, 41, from Hamilton, pleaded not guilty to charges that she kept two pitbulls that caused injury to a woman in Hamilton Parish on January 13.

Ms Furbert further denied having two pitbulls without a licence in Hamilton Parish and keeping two pitbulls that did not come from a source permitted under legislation when she appeared in Magistrates’ Court.

The matter is expected to return to the courts on May 5.

The incident was one of a spate of attacks that took place in January which caused the Government to consider changes to the law.

Under present legislation, nine breeds of dog are banned from the island, while a further 19 are on the restricted list. Restricted dogs may be bred only after receipt of a breeder’s permit.

Restrictions on American pitbull terriers were eased in 2018, with the breed removed from the prohibited list.

Last year police revealed that there had been 384 reports of incidents of dogs attacking or behaving aggressively in the previous five years, with 218 of those incidents involving pitbulls.

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