Al Dubai luxury
  • Please enable News ticker from the theme option Panel to display Post


A multi-millionaire Labour donor’s three ‘massive’ dogs have been ordered to be destroyed after a wild rampage in which they mauled a terrified jogger and raided a neighbour’s garden, killing their hens. 

Dr Anwar Ansari, 67, – who previously donated £20,000 to support London Mayor Sadiq Khan – had his Turkish Kangals seized after they escaped an enclosure in Croydon on July 23, 2023, attacking both humans and animals in their path. 

The huge hounds, which are traditionally used by shepherds in Turkey to keep wolves at bay, left a jogger covered in blood and ‘fearing for his life’ and left two puncture wounds in his dog Ziggy after they killed three hens in a Ansari’s neighbour’s garden. 

The morning of the incident, the animals tore down an electric fence to bound into the garden of the home of Payne-James family, Willesden Magistrates’ court heard. 

The parents and young children were forced to watch from inside the house in terror as the three dogs tore their three chickens apart after they were woken in bed by a ‘panic’ bark from their pooch Luca.

Ms Deone Payne-James told the court how the three ‘giant’ and ‘ferocious’ dogs ransacked their chicken coop, as she urged her children to look away from the ‘traumatic’ scenes. 

The psychotherapist said: ‘I heard my husband unlock the front door and I screamed at him: “don’t go out there!”

‘I told both of my children to look away, I started to scream: ‘someone phone the police!’.

Dr Anwar Ansari had his three Turkish Kangals seized after they went on a wild rampage

Dr Anwar Ansari had his three Turkish Kangals seized after they went on a wild rampage

Turkish Kangals are traditionally bred to help shepherds ward off wolves

Turkish Kangals are traditionally bred to help shepherds ward off wolves

Neil O'Rourke was covered in blood after trying to protect his dog Ziggy

Neil O’Rourke was covered in blood after trying to protect his dog Ziggy

The mother explained that the incident has left her feeling ‘depressed, scared and paranoid’, as she is anxious to leave windows or doors ajar. 

‘I now live in a state of hyper-vigilance and fear, I am now anxious when I’m outside and no longer enjoy gardening,’ she told the court

‘I have lost the peace, confidence, safety and refuge of my own home. The thought of these three dogs living in London, especially in Croydon, scares me.’

The Turkish Kangals belonging to the director of AA Homes and Housing Ltd then made their way to Lloyd Park where they set their sights on a husky-cross named Ziggy, owned by jogger Neil O’Rouke. 

The ‘extremely’ brave jogger threw himself over Ziggy to protect him and was repeatedly bitten on the face, as he ‘fear[ed] for his life whilst the hounds mauled him and his pet. 

Mr O’Rouke recalled letting Ziggy out of his car as the ‘three Mastiff type dogs’ approached as if ‘they were hunting like a pack. 

‘They surrounded Ziggy and tried to attack him, I ran over and to protect him from the Mastiffs ran away towards the bench,’ he said. 

But the three dogs bit the husky-cross on the back and under the jaw

But the three dogs bit the husky-cross on the back and under the jaw

Ziggy required 25 stitches after being attacked by the pets

Ziggy required 25 stitches after being attacked by the pets

‘The three dogs kept chasing, it appeared they were hunting like a pack. They ran over and jumped on top of Ziggy, they bit me several times on the hand, face and neck.

‘They were relentless and non-stop until members of the public ran over to me to start shooing the dogs.’

The dog owner was left feeling ‘anxious’, ‘scared’ and ‘shivering from fear and shock’ after the animals left him with bite marks and scars to his lower jaw. chin, and ear. 

His dog Ziggy also suffered ‘two puncture wounds’ that were only ‘millimetres from his spine and internal organs.

‘His hind right leg had been bitten through and it is no exaggeration to say it was touch-and-go that he might have lost his leg,’ he said. 

The prosecutor asked for a ‘full destruction order for these dogs’, arguing that they ‘present a significant risk to the community.’

Ansari was called to the scene and apologised.

Dr Ansari had signed an ‘Acceptable Behaviour Contract’ about his pets just two months before the incident in July on May 14, 2023.

The hounds then ran into a neighbour's farm where they killed all of the chickens

The hounds then ran into a neighbour’s farm where they killed all of the chickens

Dr Ansari previously donated £20,000 to Sadiq Khan's mayoral campaign

Dr Ansari previously donated £20,000 to Sadiq Khan’s mayoral campaign

The contract resulted from a previous incident when the Kangals escaped their Coombe Park enclosure in March the same year.

Following a trial, Dr Ansari was convicted on three counts of owning a dog dangerously out of control causing injury and three counts of owning a dog dangerously out of control not causing an injury on 27 November 2024.

Defending, Azra Khan, told the court that Dr Ansari was ‘very unhappy’ and ‘uncomfortable’ that the hounds escaped from the farm.

She also suggested the Payne-James’s ‘banging on the windows from inside (their house) possible made the dogs more agitated’ but stressed that this may have been a ‘natural reaction.’

Ms Khan said Mr O’Rourke’s injuries were ‘fortunately not as grave as some’ and did not require ‘stitching or anything of that nature.’

‘I need to emphasise to the court that Dr Ansari is a person who has not had interactions with court proceedings before this trial,’ Ms Khan said: ‘This is a completely new experience, it is a shock to him.’

She argued that Dr Ansari shouldn’t be disqualified from being able to own dogs, requesting the judge to not consider ‘such an order’, adding that: ‘Mr Ansari is quite willing to take on whatever arrangement necessary.’

Ms Khan said:’These are more or less gentle dogs and obviously something has gone wrong on that particular day.

‘They seemed to have escaped for some reason and then had an unfortunate dealing with the chickens and from there they ran off and hurt dogs. Let the dogs be placed in this alternative accommodation.’

She said Ansari had already paid the Payne-James’s £250 to repair a broken window.

District Judge Mark Jabbitt said Ansari ‘does bear significant responsibility for the dogs behaviour.’

‘I am satisfied he bought the dogs as guard dogs, that he signed an acceptable behaviour agreement,’ the judge said.

‘After a previous incident, the dogs had escaped [and] he was signed as the owner of the dogs. He failed to ensure they were properly trained or kept securely.

‘The dogs, which are large Turkish Kangals first terrified the Payne-James family, broke down the electric fence, either killed or seriously injured their chickens, then attacked Mr O’Rourke’s dog Ziggy.

‘Mr O’Rourke was extremely brave to throw himself over his dog, both had significant injuries.’

He continued: ‘I have read all the material about Dr Ansari’s background, his charitable endeavours and work in the community, his age, his health issues – I’ve considered all these factors and they are obviously important.

‘The bottom line is that Dr Ansari was ultimately responsible for these three large dogs who were not trained, not kept as guard dogs, he did not heed previous warnings – they weren’t kept securely.

‘The dogs caused significant physical and psychological damage, that cannot be downplayed.

The dogs escaped from a former farmyard developed by Dr Ansari into a compound  with mosque, offices and flats

The dogs escaped from a former farmyard developed by Dr Ansari into a compound  with mosque, offices and flats

They ran wild in Lloyd Park Croydon where they attacked Mr O'Rourke's pet Ziggy while he was out for a walk

They ran wild in Lloyd Park Croydon where they attacked Mr O’Rourke’s pet Ziggy while he was out for a walk

‘The overriding sympathy is for Mr O’Rourke, his dog and the Payne-James family.’

Ansari was fined £1,000 for each offence of the dogs causing injury and £500 for each offence not involving injury. He was also hit with a £1,800 surcharge.

The judge did not have ‘positive information’ that the victims had access to insurance. He was ordered to pay Mr O’Rourke £10,000 in compensation as well as the Payne-James family £3,000 in total. 

In total, the business director was ordered to pay £53,000 in costs, which included ‘substantial’ kennel costs. and disqualified from owning a dog for 10 years.

On the destruction order, he solemnly announced: ‘Very sadly, these dogs are a danger to the public.’

He said Ansari had failed to offer a viable alternative for the to be housed and as a result ‘made a destruction order in respect of all three dogs.’

Kangal puppies sell for a minimum of £500.

He told Dr Ansari he was a man of ‘considerable assets’ and has until 2 May to pay the full order of £72,300.

Dr Ansari will appeal both his conviction, sentence and all attendant fines and disqualifications.



Source link

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Get our latest downloads and information first. Complete the form below to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.


100% secure your website.