Former West Ham player Said Benrahma fined after his XL bully dogs attack golden retriever

LONDON (AP) — Algeria winger Said Benrahma has been fined 12,000 pounds ($16,000) for owning dangerous dogs that attacked a golden retriever in 2023 when he played for West Ham.

Benrahma admitted to two counts of owning dangerously out of control dogs when he lived in east London. He appeared Thursday via video link from a car in Saudi Arabia, where he now plays.

Benrahma’s two dogs, both XL bullies that escaped from his home, attacked a golden retriever named Bailey and injured a man in July 2023, according to testimony at Willesden Magistrates’ Court. The retriever required veterinary treatment and its owner sustained grazes to his arms and legs.

The 30-year-old Benrahma’s defense was that the dogs escaped from a side gate left open by someone working for him at the time.

The dogs now live in France.

District Judge Matt Jabbitt fined Benrahma 5,000 pounds for each of the attacks and ordered him to pay 2,500 pounds compensation to the other dog’s owner, plus 495 pounds in kennel costs.

The judge noted that Benrahma “expressed remorse when interviewed” and observed that it was his first time “sentencing someone in the Middle East.”

Benrahma plays for Neom in the Saudi league.

The incident occurred months before the British government announced a ban on owning XL bully dogs in England and Wales. The restriction followed a series of fatal attacks. It’s a criminal offense to own such a dog without a certificate of exemption.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer