Overview
- Linda Lawrence, 66, was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court to an 18-month community order with 20 days of rehabilitation and 200 hours of unpaid work.
- The court ordered £1,224 in compensation, £1,000 in costs and a £114 victim surcharge, and a separate civil claim reported in court seeks up to £136,000.
- Police seized and euthanised her two German Shepherds after the July attack on farmer Tom Biela’s flock in Stansfield that left 35 sheep dead and 14 injured.
- Prosecutors said she failed to take adequate steps after a prior incident resolved by a police community resolution, and the judge called her culpability serious.
- Biela said his insurance did not cover losses from dog attacks, and the NFU noted a new law now allows unlimited fines and gives police stronger powers in livestock-worrying cases.