A MAN has spoken of his ‘heartache and frustration’ after what has been a difficult recent period.

David O’Gorman was cleared by a jury and acquitted over a charge of being the owner or person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury.

Jurors at Liverpool Crown Court this month took less than half an hour to reach a not guilty verdict in the case of the Birchwood man.

The 63-year-old always maintained his innocence over an incident reported on Saturday, September 3, 2021, at Birchwood Forest Park.

Following enquiries, officers from Cheshire Police executed a warrant at an address in Birchwood and seized two dogs.

These have since been reunited with Mr O’Gorman after he was found to have committed no wrongdoing by the courts.

However, despite being delighted to be back with the dogs, he and his family have raised concerns over their treatment during this period.

He said: “I have been subjected to police interrogation, over a year of heartache and frustration and a three-day judicial enquiry.

“Two of my three dogs had to endure life in solitary, caged and unheated confinement – Rico for four months and Hartley for 13 months.

“Myself and my family have also suffered over this time, covering two Christmas periods and beyond.

“In the interim between my arrest and acquittal, all sorts of hearsay and Chinese whispering has gone on, mainly via social media.

“My reputation as a man to be trusted in public has been sorely damaged, alongside that of these dogs.

“As a long standing and well-known member of the Birchwood community, this has been a difficult and worrying time.

“This, on top of what was hanging over us regarding the case, and potentially what might have happened to two beautiful examples of a human’s best friend, has made the time clearly difficult.”