Elena Butterfield, 26, has been cleared of being in charge of a dog which was dangerously out of control after her pet bit a police horse on the tail When Elena Butterfield let her dog Louis off his leash in the park, she could not have imagined the chaos that would follow. An exciteable Louis, on seeing a police horse for the first time, bit it, signalling the start of a ten-month ordeal for Miss Butterfield, who said the experience made her feel suicidal. The young barrister was prosecuted under the Dangerous Dogs Act and told Louis could be put down. But after ten months of anxiety, it took magistrates just hours to clear her of any wrongdoing after they ruled she did everything possible to prevent the clash.
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Police officers were training in a park when the dog attacked their horses
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Staffordshire terrier lunged at the horses in Greenwich Royal Park
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It then latched onto one horse's tail before biting into its shoulder
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Owner Elena Butterfield said dog, Louis was excited to see new animals
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She said horses started kicking as she tried to put the dog on its lead
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Barrister feared she would be kicked in head and Louis left badly injured
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Ms Butterfield said she contemplated suicide after distressing incident
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Magistrates cleared her and said she had done all she could to prevent it
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