A MOTHER who let her two ‘dangerous’ dogs escape into the street after the police turned up at her front door to seize them has been jailed.

Officers were sent to the Darwen home of Kayleigh Dawson to execute a warrant on July 2 when the incident took place.

But as the officers dealt with her son, who had started to kick-up a fuss at their arrival, Dawson went out to the back yard of her home and opened the gate, allowing the two dogs to run away.

Prosecuting, Francis McEntee said: “Specialised officers arrived at her home to execute a warrant, the circumstances being that they had to do so after being alerted to the presence of two dangerous dogs.

“The woman’s son was at the home and he had become agitated and threatening. He said he would get involved if anything happened to the dogs.

“The officers warned him about his behaviour and tried to calm him down, but he then had to be restrained.

“It soon became apparent that while the officers were dealing with him, the defendant had let the dogs out of the rear yard, allowing them to run off.”

But a short while later a man appeared at the back yard of the address with one of the dogs in his arms.

Dawson, 32, of Clarence Street, Darwen, pleaded guilty to obstructing a constable acting in the execution of their duty.

Defending, Neil Howard said the woman’s behaviour on that afternoon had been ‘foolish’.

He said: “Her son was remonstrating with the officers who had arrived to take the dogs away.

“My client foolishly interjected by allowing the dogs to leave the property. It was a decision that she made in the heat of the moment and she acknowledges that she was very foolish.

“In retrospect, she appreciates that the officers were only trying to do their jobs.”

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While it is not clear what breed Dawson’s dogs were, in the UK it is against the law to own certain types of dogs including pit bull terriers, Japanese Tosas or Dogo Argentinos.

According to the government website, if any dog matches the characteristics of a pit bull terrier, it may be a banned type as an unlicensed breed is classified by how it looks rather than its breed or name.

Dawson was jailed for 14 days.