Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SON’S ANGER OVER KILLER POLICE DOG
Force ‘failed’ pensioner in maul horror
THE son of a pensioner mauled to death by a police dog says his mum was “failed badly” by the force.
He spoke after an inquest found that police could have stopped German shepherd Dano before he attacked retired hospital worker Irene Collins, 73.
Her son, Eric Collins, 51, said his mum had not “had the justice she deserved”.
He added: “She put her trust in the police and they failed her badly. I am very angry with the police. This has been a disgrace on their part. We hope lessons have been learned.”
Mrs Collins, who had cancer and emphysema, died four days after attacked four times by Dano in Middlesbrough in July 2014.
The seven-stone dog entered her kitchen as Cleveland Police searched for drug suspects in her back garden. Assistant Chief Constable Adrian Roberts said: “We apologise unreservedly. We accept the findings of the inquest [and] have put in place changes.”
A narrative verdict was returned at Teesside coroner’s court yesterday. The jury found Dano was “out of control” but could have been stopped earlier. It ruled that Mrs Collins died of “natural causes contributed to by the... dog bites”.
Pathologist Dr Mark Egan said Mrs Collins would not have died when she did if she had not been bitten. The Indebeing pendent Office for Police Conduct said Dano’s handler, PC Mark Baines, failed to do a proper risk assessment. After a misconduct meeting in 2017 he got a written warning but the Crown Prosecution Service did not press charges.
The watchdog said Mrs Collins should have been warned a dog was being used.
The court heard earlier that Dano had bitten 10 individuals from 2010-13 but his history had not been obtained by Cleveland Police prior to his purchase.
Assistant coroner Karin Welsh said police pledged to ensure proper checks are carried out on dogs in the future.
She also recommended that handlers carry a second lead.