Grandmother, 41, is the first woman in Britain to be prosecuted over XL Bully ... trends now
A grandmother has become the first woman in Britain to be prosecuted over the XL Bully ban - a year after she rescued the dog when it was dumped close to death at the seaside.
Jodie Fitzpatrick, 41, failed to apply for an exemption for her dog, have the animal neutered or obtain third party insurance in line with the legislation which came into force on February 1.
It comes just days after builder Patrick McKeown became the first person in the UK to be prosecuted for owning an unregistered XL Bully.
Ms Fitzpatrick had discovered the dog, which she named Bleu, freezing and hungry when it was a six-week-old puppy whilst out walking in the sand dunes at Formby in Merseyside and she subsequently nursed it back to health over 18 months.
But the animal lover then illegally continued to keep her new pet at home when new Government restrictions were introduced in February.
Jodie Fitzpatrick (pictured) has become the first woman in Britain to be ordered to have her XL Bully destroyed
Ms Fitzpatrick had discovered Bleu (pictured) freezing and hungry when it was a six-week-old puppy
Bleu was ordered to be destroyed by JPs at Sefton after Fitzpatrick pleaded guilty to possessing a fighting dog.
Just 17 days after the new law came to force, police found Bleu hiding in a locked room at Fitzpatrick's home in Waterloo, near Liverpool whilst attending the property over an unrelated matter.
The unregistered dog was seized and kept in kennels whilst Fitzpatrick was prosecuted under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
This week, Bleu was ordered to be destroyed after Fitzpatrick pleaded guilty to possessing a fighting dog.
Sefton Magistrates' Court heard Fitzpatrick - who lives off state benefits - got just £300 per month in income and could not afford to apply for the registration which would have exempted the dog from being automatically put to sleep.
On the day police took her XL Bully away, Fitzpatrick's other dog, a Lurcher called Percie, escaped the house and ran away.
Four days later it was found to have been run over by a car and needed to be put to sleep due to its injuries.
The case comes just days after Mr McKeown, 40, a former builder from Tarring, West Sussex, became the first known person in the UK to be prosecuted for owning an unregistered XL Bully. His dog called Sully was also ordered to be destroyed.
