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| Rottweiler owner leaves court after being fined |
A Filipino whose Rottweiler dog bit a woman in Hung Hom Ferry in Kowloon was today fined a total of $7,400 for two cases filed against him at the Kowloon Courts by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.
Revan Valleramos, 36, had pleaded guilty to violation of both
the Dangerous Dogs Regulation under the Dogs and Cats Ordinance, and of the
Rabies Ordinance for the April 1, 2023 incident.
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| PRESS FOR DETAILS |
Deputy Magistrate Eric Yao imposed on Valleramos a fine of
$3,600 for the first offence -- allowing a large dog to enter a public place
without leash – which has a maximum penalty of $25,000 fine and 12 months’
imprisonment.
Yao imposed a fine of $3,500 for the second offense because
the dog bite caused a deep laceration above the right elbow of the victim, who
had to undergo surgery as a result.
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| TAWAG NA! |
And for being late – Valleramos arrived in court at past
noon for a 9:30am schedule, which resulted in the hearing being stood down
until he arrived – Yao charged him $300 for court costs.
When Valleramos arrived, he apologized to the court for
being late because he had mixed up his schedules, thinking he had to go to a
hearing at the Small Claims Tribunal where the victim of his dog was suing him
for compensation.
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| PINDUTIN |
While he pleaded guilty to the first offense, Valleramos was
reluctant to admit the facts in the second case, insisting that the victim was
bitten accidentally and this fact should be mentioned in the statement of facts.
“I do not agree that my dog intentionally bit (the victim),”
he said.
He narrated that he was playing ball with his Rottweiler
when a woman carrying two poodles passed by.
The poodles barked at the Rotweiler, which responded by
running towards them, he added.
To protect her poodles, the woman turned around and was
bitten. After pain forced her to release the poodles, the Rottweiler went after
them, he added.
But Magistrate Yao said it does not matter whether the dog
bite was accidental or not.
“It’s not a defense for you to say the dog accidentally bit
the victim,” he added.
Nevertheless, he called a recess to enable Valleramos to
sort his concern with the prosecutor, who said the statement of facts does not
mention that the dog bite was intentional.
In the end, however, accidental was not mentioned in the statement
of facts, which he accepted before pleading guilty.
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| PADALA NA! |
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