YouTube star Deji fined after dog bit neighbour as CCTV of attack released

Police have released footage of the moment a YouTuber’s dog mauled a neighbour – as the internet star was fined over the attack.

WARNING – GRAPHIC IMAGE BELOW

Oladeji Olatunji, 23, known as Deji, has said he will appeal against a court decision to put down his dog after it seriously injured a woman.

“He is one of my best friends. I don’t want his life taken away,” the YouTuber said, as he apologised in a nine-minute video which has been watched at least 1.3 million times.

Deji, who has more than nine million subscribers to his YouTube page, was convicted and fined on Tuesday for allowing his dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place.

The court ordered that his dog, named Tank, be killed.

In July 2018, the German Shepherd escaped from Olatunji’s Peterborough home when the victim, her daughter and one-year-old grandson had come to collect a parcel.

The dog bit her several times and efforts by Olatunji to bring the dog back under control failed. She suffered multiple puncture wounds, extensive bruising and scratches to her legs and chest.

The victim was admitted twice to hospital after the injuries became swollen and infected.

Her son-in-law arrived during the attack and was also bitten by the dog.

The incident ended when the canine was finally dragged inside by Olatunji’s father.

Olatunji’s mother, who also lived at the property and had attempted to calm the dog down, pleaded guilty to two counts of allowing a dog to be out of control in a public place

The YouTuber initially denied the charge against him, saying the dog was not his. However, at the September 2019 hearing, Olatunji pleaded guilty to being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control.

The pair were sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on Tuesday, with footage of the attack being released by police on Thursday.

He was fined £2,500 and ordered to pay £5,845 in kennel costs along with prosecution costs and a victim surcharge, while his mother was given a 12-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay £8,000 in compensation to the victim and £2,082 in kennel costs.

Both were issued with restraining orders.

Deji wrote to his two million Twitter followers on Thursday after announcing his intention to appeal the destruction of his dog.

He said: “I wanna just say thank you to all of you showing me and Tank support #SaveTank.”

His brother, Olajide Olatunji, who is known as KSI, tweeted to his 5.3 million followers: “#SaveTank”.

Judge Farrell commented that CCTV showed the dog was “completely out of control”.

PC Jemma Russell, investigating, said: “It’s clear from the CCTV footage that the family didn’t have control of Tank, who was behaving aggressively and roaming the street without a collar.

“It is an offence to own a dangerous dog, or to have a dog that becomes dangerously out of control.”

(c) Sky News 2019: YouTube star Deji fined after dog bit neighbour as CCTV of attack released