Dog Owner Acquitted in Encamp Bite Case on Procedural Grounds

The owner of a dog that bit a neighbour's elbow in Encamp has been acquitted by the Tribunal de Corts.

The court delivered its verdict today, dismissing the case on procedural grounds rather than the merits of the incident. The ruling hinged on the statute of limitations for the minor offence of negligent injury, following significant delays in processing the complaint. The attack occurred in 2020, but the victim did not report the owner until about 18 months later.

Prosecutors requested full acquittal and dismissal during the trial, while the private prosecution sought a one-month suspended jail term and €2,000 in compensation for the woman's injuries.

The owner, who faced charges over the German Shepherd involved, testified that he had owned up to 11 such dogs over his lifetime without prior issues. On the day of the incident, he said he was walking two leashed dogs when an unexpected shadow at a street corner startled him. One animal bit the woman as she passed by.

He immediately returned both dogs to cages in his Jeep, locked the vehicle, and attended to the victim. "I offered her whatever she needed," he told the court. The woman called her son, who contacted her husband. The couple went to Encamp's medical centre, where the owner later joined them. They were then transferred to hospital, and he followed to monitor her condition. "I offered to pay whatever was necessary, but they said she was insured," he added. For three months afterwards, he regularly checked on her recovery.

The court did not address the substance of the bite or injury details in its procedural dismissal.