Man faces dangerous dog charge in Plymouth court

A man has appeared at court charged with having a large Cane Corso dog dangerously out of control.

Ashley Fulford of North Down Crescent, Plymouth attended Plymouth Crown Court on Monday, November 25 where faced a single charge. The court heard he stands accused of being in charge of Rocko, a Cane Corso, which was dangerously out of control at a property in Lowerside, Weston Mill on September 1, 2023 and that during the time it was out of control it injured a named man.

Fulford, aged 35, pleaded not guilty to the offence.

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'.

The court heard the Rocko had since been seized from Fulford by police five months after the incident but at this stage it was not know where the dog was and whether it was even still alive. Defence barrister Ali Rafati said Cane Corso dogs usually only live to the age of nine years and Rocko was eight-years-old at the time of the alleged incident.

Judge Matthew Turner granted Fulford unconditional bail and listed a two-day trial to begin on February 11, 2025.

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