Judge’s dog ‘puts the bite on student’

The student life has come a long way from getting out of bed in the afternoon, eating enough Pot Noodles to fell a horse and watching Blockbusters whilst wishing you had the chance to ask Bob Holness for a ‘P’.

Nowadays, a student is expected to storm the Houses of Parliament, smash the state and crack members of the Royal family over the head, as well as get their assignments in on time (or at least think of a really creative excuse as to why they haven’t).

Of course, this is an exaggeration… perhaps. However, one student has cause to feel hard done by the establishment after he was bitten by a judge’s dog.

Frederick Becker, 20, was sunbathing in his parent’s garden when his neighbour’s pet German shepherd bit him on the leg, leaving him bruised and bleeding.

Carlisle Magistrate’s Court heard that Becker’s parents shared a garden with Judge Beatrice Bolton, at the rear of their adjoining properties in Rothbury, Northumberland. Judge Bolton, 57, had erected a fence, but was asked by Becker’s parents to take it down as they felt it spoiled the garden, even though they had complained about the animal as they thought that it was dangerous.

Becker told the court how the dog had attacked him and tore through his clothing. He went to a local hospital, but didn’t require treatment.

Judge Bolton is charged with allowing her dog into an area where it was not permitted; where there were grounds it would cause injury to a person.

A forensics expert at the trial, on examining CCTV footage of the attack, told the court that it was impossible to tell from the footage if the injuries were caused by the dog.

The trial continues.

Quite how Judge Bolton could have been expected to keep her dog out of the Becker’s garden when they insisted she take down her fence in the first place is beyond us. As for the German shepherd attacking a student; had he done it London recently he would have been commended, as this was in Northumberland he gets put on trial for it – go figure.

Mark James