Overview

• Elizabeth Boot pleaded guilty to controlling a dangerously out-of-control dog and received a 16-month jail term suspended for 18 months.
• Judge Mark Watson accepted a dog behaviour expert’s assessment that Rocky “does not pose a danger to the public” and authorised his return.
• Conditions for Rocky’s return include fitted pet gates, locked separation when minors visit, 15 behaviour sessions and a destruction order if requirements are breached.
• The nine-year-old victim suffered a deep gash under her eye, permanent scarring and time off school following the January 2024 attack.
• The ruling comes against heightened scrutiny of XL Bully breeds and a High Court ban introduced in December 2024.