Pit bull terrier killed German shepherd

A Smith's man appeared briefly in Magistrates' Court yesterday after his pit bull terrier killed another dog.

Alfred Wolffe told the court he took full responsibility for the incident which took place on the afternoon of October 18 at a house in Harrington Sound.

Crown counsel Nicole Smith told the court that the owner of a German shepherd dog had left her house for two hours. When she returned, Wolffe's pit bull terrier was in her yard fighting with her dog that was tied up at the time. Ms Smith said the woman sprayed the dogs with water in an attempt to stop them from fighting, but when this did not work she called the dog warden. When the dog warden arrived both dogs were sitting side-by-side, obviously exhausted and covered in blood.

Both dogs were taken to an animal hospital and treated, but the German shepherd later died.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner fined Wolffe $1,500. He was also ordered to pay $269.50 in compensation to the owner of the German shepherd for vet bills.

Youth, 17, 'felt threatened'

"This foolishness has to stop!"

That was the lesson Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner handed down to a 17-year-old Sandys youth in court yesterday after the teen was arrested for being in possession of a seven-inch knife.

Melvin Simons pleaded guilty to the charge.

Crown counsel Nicole Smith told the court that Simons was searched by Police at Salt Kettle Ferry where he was sitting with a group of young men.

Police found the silver knife in his jacket.

Simons told Mr. Warner that he carried the knife for protection.

"There's all this gang violence ? I felt threatened," he said.

When asked if he was a member of a gang, Simons replied that he was not, but all the taxi drivers carried knives for protection too.

Mr. Warner asked Simons where he heard that and Simons said he'd seen it, to which Mr. Warner simply shook his head.

At the back of the courtroom Simons' grandmother stood up and told the court that her grandson was a "good boy" who had never been in trouble before.

She said he had been beaten up some time ago by other boys and had told his mother that he had found the knife.

Mr. Warner said society in Bermuda could not continue to function with this "vigilante type behaviour".

Simons was fined $1,500 and Mr. Warner told him that if he ever came back to his court for a similar matter he would be jailed. However, before Simons was allowed to leave the court, Mr. Warner asked him why he had not paid a $200 fine for theft that he'd been given by the court last November. Simons shrugged and Mr. Warner told him and his grandmother that both fines had to be paid before Simons would be allowed to leave court.