A commercial dog walker from Hatch End has been banned from every park and open space in the Three Rivers district after reports of irresponsible behaviour.
Paul Kingston, or ‘Bob’ as he is locally known, of Hillview Road, is now prohibited from walking dogs in the area for 10 years, and has been ordered to pay a fine of £2,500 after appearing at St Albans Crown Court on Tuesday, December 5.
The situation began in July 2021, when Three Rivers District Council received reports that Mr Kingston was walking more than four dogs of large breed types, specifically German shepherds and labradors, at South Oxhey Playing Fields.
The animals were allowed to run free in the park off the lead, which intimidated others walking their own pets. When confronted on this matter, Mr Kingston was reported as being aggressive and rude, forcing walkers to change their routes to avoid him. Kingston has denied these allegations.
After he ignored all correspondence from the council, a community protection notice was issued under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. This order now bars Mr Kingston being in charge of any dog/dogs at any location within the Three Rivers area, and from accompanying any other person walking dogs that are associated with his dog walking business.
Mr Kingston appealed, but this was denied, with Deputy District Judge Booty sitting at the Magistrates Court in St Albans finding against him. Through evidence brought by TRDC, Mr Kingston was found to be unreasonable following a large number of complaints, and that his conduct was having a negative effect on other dog walkers.
Emma Sheridan, associate director for customer and community at TRDC, said: “This is an excellent result. We want all of our wonderful parks and open spaces to be enjoyed by everyone and the court’s decision sends a strong message that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated.
“The council is committed to the promotion of responsible dog ownership and will take action against those who fail to keep dogs under their supervision under control. We are delighted the court agreed and dismissed this appeal.”
Photo credit: TRDC
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