Dog attack near Kildare/Wicklow border ends in €3,000 compensation
Picture for illustration purposes only
A 24-year-old man has been fined €500 after his two Belgian Shepherd dogs attacked two young girls last year.
Florin Veres appeared before Judge Geraldine Carthy at Carlow District Court, where he was ordered to pay the fine within 120 days.
The court heard that compensation of €3,000 had been brought to court by the defendant and that the injured parties were willing to accept the payment.
Solicitor John O’Sullivan told the judge that his client had cooperated fully with the case and asked her to consider applying the Probation Act, which would have resulted in no conviction being recorded.
However, Judge Carthy said the matter was “too serious to consider” the Probation Act and proceeded to conviction, noting that she had received the probation report that had been ordered earlier in the proceedings.
The incident occurred on 8 June 2024 at Fairgreen Manor, Dunlavin when the two dogs, which were unleashed and unrestrained, attacked the teenage girl. The court had previously heard that the dogs were “barking and snapping” at the girl and her sister.
When the children’s father intervened to protect his daughters, one of the dogs bit him, requiring him to receive a tetanus injection. A neighbour who witnessed the attack also came to assist during the incident.
Mr Veres, who had no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to charges of having uncontrolled dogs and having dogs without leashes.
The case had been before the court on multiple occasions since March, when Judge Carthy first ordered a probation report and later directed that €3,000 compensation be offered to the victims.
In May, the court heard that Mr Veres of 5 Fairgreen Manor, Dunlavin, Co Wicklow had made a €300 donation to the Dogs Trust charity while the case was pending. The defence solicitor had confirmed that the dogs involved in the attack have since been destroyed.
