Man arrested after Ipswich dog incident which saw XL Bully Rocco shot in Orwell Country Park

A man has been arrested after the shooting of a dog at a park on the outskirts of Ipswich last week.

A number of police units, including the Norfolk and Suffolk Roads and Armed Policing Team and a dog handler, descended on Orwell Country Park at 7.20pm on July 11.

This followed several reports from the public about an animal that was ‘out of control’ in the area.

A spokesman for Suffolk Police said when they arrived, they found the dog in extreme distress – and they were unable to bring it under control.

The dog, a one-year-old XL Bully named Rocco, was shot.

Chief Superintendent Alice Scott said it was deemed necessary to put Rocco down to ‘protect anyone else from being harmed and to prevent further suffering of the dog’ after he bit two people and attacked another dog.

Rocco’s owner, Joanne Robinson, from Ipswich, told SuffolkNews of her trauma after the incident.

Suffolk Police have confirmed a 41-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident.

He was taken to Martlesham police investigation centre for questioning.

The man was then released under investigation pending further enquiries.