An Aberystwyth businessman has been fined after a 17-year-old girl who was bitten by a dog identified his pet as the culprit in a dog ID parade.

Edward Andrew Davies, of Caer Madyn in Llanbadarn Fawr, pleaded guilty to owning a dog which was dan-gerously out of control and caused injury to the girl on 1 October.

Ellie Morgan, prosecuting, told magistrates that the girl had been walking home from school when she heard dogs barking as she walked past Davies’ property, but then saw two dogs come out of the property.

The larger of the two dogs, a border collie, bit her on the lower leg, leaving her with a puncture wound on her calf. She later picked out Davies’ dog in an ID parade.

She needed treatment at Bronglais Hospital and was given a course of antibiotics, but the next day the wound had swollen up to the size of half a tennis ball.

Ms Morgan said the girl told police that she had previously seen the dog chasing after cars driving down that lane and biting at tyres.

Forty-seven-year-old Davies told police that the dog was a rescue dog, but that he had never seen it exhibit any aggression and that any incident was “out of character” for the dog.

Defence solicitor David Hinton-Jones said that Davies had since given up the dog to a rehoming centre, but that he was prepared to abide by any order made by the court.

He said that, while the dogs were usually kept in a kennel, when family members were around the dogs were allowed out around the smallholding where he lives and that, while it is fenced, there were areas where the dogs could get out.

Magistrates made Davies subject to an order that will mean that any dogs owned by Davies must be kept on the property or on leads if they are in a public place.

He was also fined £400 and will pay compensation to the victim, who cannot be named, of £200 and costs totalling £125.