Milley acquitted of wrongdoing in shooting of dogs

The Metropolitan Police has been cleared by the police watchdog of wrongdoing in its handling of an incident in which two dogs were shot dead and a man fatally shot.

Police found a woman suffering from leg injuries after a dog attack in Poplar, east London, on 7 May 2023.

A video shows a group of officers holding catcher poles, riot shields and guns approaching Louis Turnbull, whose dogs were “agitated and barking” according to police.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct concluded, “We found no indication that any officer had behaved in a way that would justify disciplinary action or committed any criminal offence.”

The watchdog said it had asked the Met and City of London Police, which also responded to the Limehouse Cut incident, to “consider the availability and demand for dog handlers, and whether their current resource is adequate”.

In November 2023, Turnbull, 46, was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, after pleading guilty to having two dangerously out-of-control dogs.

At the time of the incident on Commercial Road in Poplar on May 7, Turnbull had already been banned from owning dogs for 20 years.

The court order was given following a similar incident in November 2019, for which he also received a suspended sentence.

Det Ch Superintendent James Conway said: “The investigation found that officers faced a really challenging situation and they had to stop the owner of the aggressive animal – after it had attacked a woman and her dog – to save them from further injury. Made several attempts to surrender.

“Despite the owner’s repeated refusal to comply the officers displayed impressive restraint and bravery in trying to resolve the situation, and only took further action when they had no choice but to take action once the dogs were released from the man’s grip. There was nothing left.

“Parts of the incident were filmed and posted on social media and we know how much distress this matter caused.

“None of us would want to see any animal hurt and that includes our officers, who worked only to ensure the safety of everyone involved.”