A MAN who breached a court curfew chasing after his pet Alsatian when it let itself out his home has walked free from court.

Mark Shaw, 26, ran after his pet, Bear, when it opened the door and scampered outside.

Shaw, of East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, had been hit with a curfew keeping him indoors and unpaid work after being convicted of driving a car at police officers.

But he was reported for breaching the tagging order and ordered to appear at Lanark Sheriff Court.

He admitted the breach but claimed a video showing 16-month old Bear opening doors at his house backed up his story.

A sheriff has now accepted his explanation and said he would not punish him for breaching the curfew but ordered Shaw to complete his unpaid work in the community.

Darren de Rosa, defending, said: “The breach of the restriction of liberty order happened in the early hours.

“The explanation for that is a very unusual one but the gate to his property had been left open and he was within his home as indicated in the report and then left.

“The reason for that is that he has a dog with the ability to open up doors.

“They opened the door, the dog left and he simply took the decision to go after the dog which resulted in the breach that is before you.

“It was imposed on the 20th April this year and you are dealing with an order which has now been completed other than what is before you today."

Shaw, a warehouse worker, said he had no idea where Bear learned to open doors.

He added: “I got Bear when he was 10 months old and he had been abused by his last owners.

“Once when I was going to work he opened the front door of the house and ran off trying to follow the car and another time he jumped the fence when we stayed in Carstairs and opened a neighbour's door.

“I don’t know where he got it from because we’ve not taught him anything.

“I’ve had to admit the breach because I was out the house but I had to go and catch him so there was a valid reason.

“It was one in the morning and he just got out so I had to go and get him in case something happened to him.

“I was out for about an hour up the woods near where we stayed trying to find him and when I did we took him straight home.

“But the second I went out the house it triggered the tag and they knew I was out the house.

“All the doors in the house are locked now so he can’t get out and I’m always checking them to make sure in case he escapes again.”

Sheriff Robert Weir said: “As far as the restriction of liberty order breach, that has now been overtaken by events of the other order and as such, given it has been completed, I will make no further order relating to it.”

Shaw earlier admitted driving dangerously at excessive speed, failing to stop when required to by police officers, driving directly at the officers, forcing them to take evasive action to avoid being struck, and heading off through a red light.