Michael Field: 87-year-old man fined after pet border collie bit toddler on the face in Singleton

An elderly man was fined after his dog attacked a toddler at a beach in Singleton last year.

Michael Field lodged an approved guilty plea in the Mandurah Magistrates Court on January 16 on a charge of dog attack causing actual bodily harm.

The maximum penalty for this charge is $10,000.

The City of Rockingham prosecutor told the court that the 87-year-old was at the Singleton Beach Café on Aug. 16 with his border collie mix dog, Andy.

The two-year-old victim ran past Andy, who bit the boy’s face as he approached.

The little boy suffered puncture wounds on his face, chin and left cheek.

Judge Clare Cullen said the assault was at the lower end of the scale and fined Field $500.

Field applied for sentencing but was refused because he did not appear in court for sentencing.