Short-tempered boy claims dog he drowned attacked him

A 16-year-old boy with an anger management problem yesterday admitted in court to drowning a dog near the Marsaxlokk waterpolo pitch, claiming it had been aggressive towards him.

The police, however, said they found no evidence that Bobby, a Labrador, had been aggressive. In fact, the dog was described as “placid”, sources said.

On Thursday, Bobby had accompanied its owner to the beach in an area known as Tal-Ponta, about 300 metres away from the waterpolo pitch just behind St Lucian tower.

Legal aid lawyer Renzo Porsella Flores told Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera that the boy, who cannot be named because of his age, wanted to plead guilty but asked the court to take into consideration the circumstances of the case.

The magistrate went through the court documents and the police statements and referred to the boy’s claim that he had been attacked by the dog.

The lawyer insisted his client had been acting in self-defence.

However, Police Inspector Arthur Mercieca noted that the teenager had admitted to him that at times he would lose his temper and, in certain situations, his self-control.

The officer also noted that the water where the incident occurred was too deep for the dog to be able to attack the boy.

The parents informed the inspector that the boy was under psychiatric care for his anger management problem and had been prescribed pills but he refused to take them, insisting he did not need them.

Magistrate Scerri Herrera ordered that probation officer Miriam Sevasta interview the boy’s psychiatrist and draw up a pre-sentencing report before she hands down judgment at the end of next month.

Until then, he was granted bail against a personal guarantee of €1,000 and warned that any breach of the conditions would result in imprisonment.