ENGLAND football ace Morgan Gibbs-White forgot to register his banned XL Bully dog because he was “busy”, his lawyer insisted.
The £60million-rated Nottingham Forest player was hauled to court and fined after failing to tell authorities about pet hound Harlo.
Gibbs-White, 25, did not attend a hearing at Nottingham magistrates’ court as he is in the squad for tomorrow’s Three Lions game against Latvia.
But he insisted through a lawyer that he would get it registered by December 12 or face having the dog put down.
The dad-of-two, of East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, missed last February’s deadline to register Harlo.
Every XL Bully had to be registered after the muscular breed was banned following a series of horrific attacks on owners and children during 2022 and 2023.
Owning one without an exemption certificate became a criminal offence.
Gibbs-White was pursued by the East Midlands Police Legal Services team after he failed to log the dog with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.
His solicitor, Mark Haslam, insisted the error was wholly accidental.
Mr Haslam insisted the star had “co-operated fully with the investigation” and had “done everything in his power to put things right.”
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He added that Gibbs-White had complied with all the conditions of owning an XL Bully “apart from the registration that remains outstanding.”
Mr Haslam said that the pet had already been microchipped and neutered and is muzzled and on a lead when in public.
He added: “All the conditions we were aware of have been met, apart from the registration, which will be met.”
District Judge Grace Leong said Gibbs-White had “missed the opportunity to register his XL Bully during the relevant period.”
She ordered that Harlo be registered with the authorities by December 12 or the dog would be taken and destroyed under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
Gibbs-White was also ordered to pay £284 in court costs.
After the 20-minute hearing, Mr Haslam told The Sun: “Quite simply, he forgot to comply with the DEFRA registration. He is a busy boy.
“But ever since it was drawn to his attention, he agreed to put it right.
“The destruction order will not become necessary because the registration will be met. There will be no failure on his part.”
Some Premier League stars bought XL Bullies for security reasons after a spate of raids at players’ houses.
Gibbs-White lives with fiancée Britney De Villiers, 25, and their two young children in a £700,000 house.
The playmaker turned down a £60m move to Tottenham this summer and signed a new deal with Forest until 2028 on a reported £150,000-per-week.
There are an estimated 55,000 XL Bullies in the UK, with another 20,000 thought to be owned illegally.
Figures show 848 non-compliant dogs were seized and killed by police in England and Wales between February and September last year.
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