PREVIEW

The shocking moment a woman punched a fellow dog walker in the face has been caught on camera.
Lucie Marsh, 25, attacked Lisa Wood for “kicking” her two pets in a pedestrian area of Canterbury — despite the fact her own animals had been the aggressors. She delivered multiple blows and spat in her victim’s face before laughing and walking off.
Ms Wood, a midwife, was left with a black eye and had to take four weeks off work. She said she now feels scared when taking her dog for a walk.
Marsh, of Barton Mill Road, Canterbury, was later charged with assault by beating and being the owner of a dog that was dangerously out of control.
She admitted both offences when she appeared in court in August. A pre-sentencing report was ordered, and she returned to Margate Magistrates’ Court on September 9 to learn her fate.
Prosecutor Lucie Fish played the CCTV footage of the incident on March 2 to magistrates.
She described how Ms Wood had good control of her German Shepherd, which was on a lead. Ms Wood walked over the river via the bridge and “coming towards her were two dogs”, the court heard.
“One, a Cane Corso, lay on the floor as if to look at her, but the second dog [Enzo the mastiff] ran and attacked her dog, and the other dog then formed the pack mentality and also attacked her dog,” the prosecutor said.
Ms Wood “kicked out at both to try and get them off her dog” and also pulled the German Shepherd away as it was still on the lead. Marsh then grabbed Ms Wood by the hair, with the force causing her to “almost fall back”.
The prosecutor said: “Her AirPods were pulled out as she was yanked, and then she was pushed and punched in the face, and the defendant was shouting, ‘You kicked my dogs’. She then hit her a further two times and then spat in her face, and it landed on her cheek. This offence was aggravated by the spitting in her face.”
The court heard Ms Wood also suffered scratches during the incident, as well as slight whiplash from being yanked backwards. Thankfully, her dog was uninjured.
Her victim impact statement was read to the court, in which she said: “It was the first time I felt like a victim, and now I am scared of my own shadow when taking my dog for a walk.
“I had to have four weeks off work, and it’s set me back.”
The court heard Enzo was not seized by police and magistrates could make a contingent destruction order if they chose to.
The bench was told Marsh has a significant attachment to her pet, which she got after the death of her sister, and that he was an emotional support for her.
They also heard she sprang into action that day to “defend her dogs”, as they remind her of her sister.
Marsh was said to be deeply regretful and ashamed of what she had done and had phoned her mum in tears after the attack because she was horrified by her actions.
The court also heard she had suffered significant trauma as a child.
Since the attack, she has addressed her behaviour through therapy and undertaken training with the dog, which is now only walked with a lead and muzzle.
Magistrates decided to follow the recommendations in the pre-sentence report and placed Marsh on a six-month community order for the assault offence, requiring her to complete 15 rehabilitation sessions.
She was fined £50 for having a dog that was dangerously out of control and ordered to pay £300 compensation to Ms Wood.
Magistrates also told her she had to pay a victim surcharge of £115 and £85 in court costs. Marsh will pay what she owes at a rate of £20 a month.
The bench decided not to make a contingent destruction order on Enzo.