Man stabbed and whipped dog in Devon M&S car park

A man who admitted attacking a large Cane Corso dog in Plymouth city centre is being hunted by police after he failed to attend court.

A Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor at Plymouth Crown Court was expecting to pursue the case against 31-year-old Lewis Simmons last Friday, November 1 but noted that he was not in attendance.

Simmons, of Paragon in Bath, was accused of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. The particulars of the charge is that Simmons attacked the dog on October 8, 2023 in the Marks and Spencer car park in Cornwall Street by "stamping, hitting, kicking, stabbing and whipping".

He pleaded guilty at Plymouth Magistrates' Court on August 6 this year and the case was adjourned to the Crown Court for sentencing, following the preparation of a pre-sentence report. Simmons was granted conditional bail by the courts but failed to attend the sentencing hearing.

Following a submission from the prosecutor, Judge Robert Linford issued a bench warrant for Simmons who will be brought to court once he has been detained by police.

Cane Corsos are a very large mastiff type breed of dog, thought to have originally descended from a Roman war dog. When war was over they were used as successful hunters and worked on farms, protecting, guarding and rounding up livestock. Their name comes from the Latin 'Cohors' which means 'guardian' or 'protector'.

Unfortunately because of their imposing, handsome good looks some Cane Corsos have fallen victim to tail docking and ear cropping. Tail docking in the Cane Corso breed is illegal in the UK and must be reported to RSPCA. Ear cropping is also illegal in the UK and needs to be reported to RSPCA if discovered.