Man, 40, becomes first person to be charged under new dognapping laws

A man has become the first known person in Britain to be charged under new dognapping laws after a woman was attacked in the street.

Julian Mead, 40, is also charged with attempted murder and making threats with an offensive weapon.

Emergency crews were called to Bells Lane in the Cinderhill district of Nottingham shortly before 9.30pm on October 1 after reports of an assault.

The injured woman, in her 40s, was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

And shortly after the attack, a dog was reported stolen from a nearby house.

Mead, of Welstead Avenue in Aspley, Nottingham, is charged with attempted murder, making a threat with an offensive weapon in a public place and taking a dog so as to keep it from the person with lawful control.

Police say Mead is believed to be the first person to be charged with 'dognapping' since the Pet Abduction Act 2024 came into force in August.

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Mead appeared at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on Tuesday and was remanded in custody, to appear at the city's crown court on November 6.

Det Insp Julian Eminson-Ferry, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: 'This was a very serious assault, and I am pleased we have now been able to charge a suspect.

'Our investigation into what happened will now continue.

'The whereabouts of the stolen dog remain unknown and I'd ask anyone with information in this respect to please come forward.'

Under the new laws, anyone convicted of stealing a pet in England or Northern Ireland faces up to five years in jail, a fine or both.

Figures have suggested that an average six dogs a day are stolen across the country, with just one in four being reunited with their owners.

Victims of this crime in the UK include former BBC Technology correspondent Rory-Cellan Jones as well as the daughter of the late entertainer Bruce Forsyth.

Mr Cellan-Jones' dog, Cabbage, was one of six which was stolen from a professional dog walker in west London in November 2021.

Since lockdown, demand for dogs has increased which has led to pressure on prices and a growth in the interest of Organised Crime Groups seeking to 'take advantage of the marketplace'.

Previous research by insurance firm Direct Line suggested that American Bulldogs, Staffordshire Bull Terriers and French Bulldogs were the breeds most at risk of dognapping.