Teenager charged after machete attack on police dog
A teenager has been charged after a police dog was injured in an attack with a machete.
The 16-year-old was questioned by detectives from West Midlands Police, about the incident in the Handsworth area of Birmingham in which three-year-old police dog Stark suffered facial cuts.
The teenager, who is too young to be legally named, was released from hospital on Tuesday where he had been receiving treatment for dog bite injuries following the incident on Saturday.
The boy, who lives in Handsworth, Birmingham, has been charged with possessing a bladed weapon and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected (service) animal under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
He has been bailed to appear at Birmingham Youth Court next month, with bail conditions that include a condition to live and sleep at a specified address and to abide by a 7pm-7am curfew.
PD Stark, German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois cross, is continuing his recovery at home where he will stay for around two weeks until his wounds have fully healed.
News of the charges was announced a day after the force confirmed that Stark is expected to make a full recovery from surgery to stitch together wounds near his right eye.
