Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
PARENTS WANT ACTION 10 YEARS ON FROM HORROR
EXCLUSIVE THE family of a teen killed by four dangerous dogs 10 years ago have demanded new laws to tackle the soaring number of fatal attacks.
Jade Lomas-Anderson, 14, suffered horrific injuries as she was bitten “from head to toe” by two bull mastiffs and two Staffordshire bull terriers at a friend’s home on March 26, 2013.
At the time, it was only illegal to have an out-of-control dog in a public place – but that was changed to include private houses after her parents fought for tougher laws.
Ten years on, they say this is still not enough and the law should be “ripped up and started again” in their daughter’s name.
Mum Shirley, 46, said: “The law we have now is a massive insult to Jade’s legacy. Every time there is a dog attack, it’s a kick in the face to us and we feel angry and upset.
“Today, we are calling for a new standalone Jade’s Law, which we know will stop other families going through what we have.”
Shirley and husband Mike want harsher jail terms and bans for owners of vicious dogs, and think all dog owners should take an online tutorial and be on a police database.
The couple hope to discuss reform with Environment Secretary Therese Coffey and Mike, 43, said: “It’s time to accept things are at breaking point.
“We are calling for the dog legislation to sit on its own, not be buried in the antisocial behaviour bill.”
They spoke as latest figures reveal injuries caused by dogs have risen by over a third in five years – from 16,000 in 2018 to 22,000 last year. Twelve people have been killed by dangerous breeds since the start of 2022 in the UK.
Last Sunday, a pack of dogs mauled a girl aged six in a street less than five miles from where Jade was killed. A 35-year-old man has appeared in court while 17 dogs were taken away.
Mike – Jade’s stepfather – said: “Dangerous dog attacks have become a spiralling epidemic. We want justice for families. We don’t want to ban dogs. We love dogs and have two. It pains us when we see dogs being destroyed.
“It’s almost always the owners who are dangerous. It’s 90% owner, it’s 10% the dog. We want the onus to be placed more on the owners.”
Shirley added: “Jade would help anyone. She would shop for the elderly, help them across the road. This is what Jade would have done if she was here. She’d be pushing for change and that is why we will never give up.”
Jade was attacked at a friend’s house in Atherton, Greater Manchester, five minutes from her own home.
An inquest heard her pal’s mother, Beverley Concannon, had five dogs. Some were said to be “stir-crazy” and “hyper-aggressive” from being caged or cooped up in her house. Neighbours claimed they were never walked.
Prosecutors said there was not enough evidence for a manslaughter case. Instead, magistrates gave the unemployed mum of five a 16-week suspended sentence for animal cruelty and a ban on keeping dogs. The court heard Jade died of “horrific injuries” she suffered from “head to toe”.
Mike said: “I was hoping she’d get some prison sentence. I broke down outside court. When I got home, I remember saying, ‘The law has to change. We have to do something’.”
The couple met politicians including then-PM David Cameron and the law was toughened up, extending an owner’s responsibility to controlling their dogs on private property. But Mike said: “As a soon as I heard the law would fall under the anti-social behav
‘‘ She’d want us to get a new law in her name to stop these attacks. We will never stop fighting for her
iour bill, I had this niggly feeling this will not be enough. I hate to say it but that gut feeling was right.” Even the coroner at the 2014 inquest into Jade’s death suspected the law had not gone far enough.
Shirley said: “We sat back and watched to see if it would have an effect. Ten years on, we can confidently say it hasn’t. It’s upsetting. But this is why the time is now for change. It still feels like yesterday when everything happened. We’ve had therapy. It feels so hard when we hear someone else has gone through what we have.
“We mark her birthday and do things she would want us to. We have two other children. We try and live every day like she’d like us to. I still sleep with her One Direction pillow because she loved Harry Styles. She was a proper tomboy. She loved climbing, being cheeky, the joker. We will never stop fighting for her.” The Government said: “We recently published research examining measures to reduce dog attacks and promote responsible dog ownership. We have set up a group with police, local authorities and animal welfare to advise on how the proposals could work.”