Ex-rugby league star Andy Gregory whose Border Collie mauled a dog walker is fined £1K

• Andy Gregory, who won 26 caps for GB, was handed suspended prison sentence
• The victim was left with substantial wounds following incident near Wigan

A former rugby league star whose out-of-control Border Collie mauled a dog walker as he stood by and did nothing to help has been fined £1,000.

Andy Gregory, who won 26 caps for Great Britain, was handed a suspended prison sentence after his dog left victim Simon Derbyshire with substantial wounds during a walk in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, in October 2021.

The 61-year-old played for Widnes and Warrington before signing for Wigan for a then world record fee of £130,000 in 1986 – winning the player of the year award the following season and making 186 appearances. He was also one of only two players to play in six Ashes series against Australia before retiring in 1994.

But appearing at Bolton Magistrates’ Court, Gregory admitted having a dangerous dog out of control and was sentenced to 16 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.

It comes after he was declared bankrupt in March, racking up debts of £412,000 following the collapse of the SummerFest music event at Ewood Park, the home of Blackburn Rovers FC, which had been due to host acts including the Human League, Boy George, and UB40. The event was cancelled at the last minute, with those who bought tickets fighting for refunds.

Tineka O’Mara, prosecuting, told the court Mr Derbyshire often walked his dog in the local area and had been leaving his house on October 26, 2021, when he spotted Gregory’s larger dog.

The court heard the Border Collie sheepdog, who was not on a lead, had attacked Mr Derbyshire’s dog on a previous occasion.

Ms O’Mara said: ‘The dog made its way towards him and Mr Derbyshire quickly picked up his own dog. At this point the defendant’s dog jumped up at him, biting him on the back, lower leg and calf.’

The incident lasted around 15 seconds, during which time Gregory was said to have ‘stood and watched without offering any help at all’. 

Mr Derbyshire was subsequently taken to hospital in ‘extreme amounts of pain’ after trying to protect his ‘small and placid’ dog.

The victim suffered wounds to his leg and back, but the injury to his calf became infected and he was required to attend hospital two to three times a week over the course of six months.

Gregory was arrested following the incident, where he admitted he was ‘sorry and regretted the incident’ during a police interview.

He added: ‘My dog did not go out to bite him. ‘If I had intervened it would have been much worse.’

The court was shown images of Mr Derbyshire’s injuries, which revealed the extent of the damage including large scars, blood, bite marks and the infected wound on the back of his calf.

Rosemary Procter, representing Gregory, said in mitigation that he knows the incident ‘was against the law and he knows he can’t hide behind that’.

She added: ‘He rejects the idea that Georgie is aggressive. You will also see this from the wealth of references made about both Georgie and him by friends and family. He now gets up at 5am every morning to walk Georgie and makes sure he is on a short lead.”

‘He has found his first experience of criminal justice confusing and alien. He lost his job as a site manager as a result of this incident.

‘Him and his wife Nicola, who is sat in court today, are considering leaving the area where they have built a life. He has no income at present and is indebted to a number of people. He is not in receipt of universal credit and is supported financially by his wife.’

Gregory also refuted allegations his Border Collie had carried out a previous attack on the victim’s dog. 

Ms Procter said Gregory is now in ‘poor health’ having suffered problems with his in recent years, while he has also suffered a heart attack in the past.

She continued: ‘He is a man who doesn’t mince his words, he is stubborn and far from timid. However, he also gives his time to a range of charities and asks nothing in return.

‘He was told when he was starting out that he was not big or good enough to play professional rugby, but he proved the naysayers wrong. Now he encourages children and those who wouldn’t usually get into rugby to do so to.’

Passing sentence, JP Karen Martin said: ‘After careful consideration, we do feel this crossed the custody threshold. This dog was dangerously out of control at the time and caused serious injury to this individual. But the sentence can be suspended.’

Gregory was sentenced to 16 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.

He was also ordered to pay £1,000 in compensation and must now always walk Geordie with a lead and muzzle under the terms of a contingency destruction order.