A man refused to leash his powerful Cane Corso dog during a confrontation with police and told officers it had “the strongest bite”.
Dylan Rowlands’ face was “covered in blood” when officers responded to reports of a disturbance at a property in Dingwall.
He had a Cane Corso dog with him which “did not appear to be observing commands”, Inverness Sheriff Court was told.
The incident came just hours before Rowlands attacked his ex-partner at her home, punching her repeatedly before pursuing her as she fled and kicking a door in an attempt to gain entry.
Rowlands, 25, appeared via videolink to admit charges of breach of the peace and resisting, obstructing or hindering officers in relation to the dog incident, along with charges of assault and threatening behaviour towards his former partner.
Fiscal depute David Morton told the court that it was around 2am on July 12 last year that police were called to a disturbance in Brown Square, Dingwall.
He said: “Upon arrival, Mr Rowlands was in a garden, his face was covered in blood. He had a large Cane Corso dog. He stated he was looking for the dog leash.
Dog was not observing commands
“He was asked to keep the dog under control as it didn’t appear to be observing commands.”
The court heard that Rowlands did find a lead and put it on the dog, but he then began to shout and swear at officers.
“He informed them that the dog had the strongest bite known,” Mr Morton said.
Rowlands was warned by the officers to go home but “did not heed that warning”.
“He took the dog off the leash allowing it to roam freely,” Mr Morton said, adding that Rowlands himself was “shouting and swearing at officers” and “calling them c***s”.
As a result, he was handcuffed but began thrashing his legs and threatening the officers and the families. He also falsely claimed to have HIV.
Rowlands was taken to the police station, where a spit hood and leg restraints were needed to take him into custody.
Apologies the morning after
The next morning he told officers: “I’m extremely sorry. I acted under the influence of alcohol and drugs, it is not the usual way I behave and I am ashamed.”
At around 8.40am his ex-partner was at the rear of her Dingwall home when she heard “the latch on her garden gate”, Mr Morton told Sheriff Gary Aitken.
The woman went to investigate and saw Rowlands who “immediately ran toward her, grabbed hold of her and started to punch her repeatedly to the head”.
“He grabbed hold of her hair and continued to punch her on the head. He indicated that he would stab her,” the fiscal depute said.
The woman managed to flee into her home but was pursued by Rowlands, who began to kick the closed door in an attempt to gain entry.
When he did not manage to, he made off.
Accused was ‘heavily under the influence’
Solicitor Natalie Paterson, for Rowlands, told the court: “The offences were committed at a time when Mr Rowlands was heavily under the influence of substances and alcohol.”
She said he had overcome his alcohol and substance misuse issues since his remand and was engaging with the Smart recovery programme.
Sheriff Aitken jailed Rowlands, whose address was given in court papers as a prisoner in Inverness, for 12 months.
He backdated the sentence to July 15 of last year.