The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Dog attack left girl with gaping facial wounds
Kirrie man admits owning Staffie that was dangerously out of control
Suddenly and without warning the dog knocked the child over and held the child’s face in its mouth in a tight grip. DEPUTE FISCAL JOANNE SMITH
A death sentence is hanging over a Staffordshire bull terrier that savaged an Angus toddler in a horrific Kirriemuir incident.
The tot’s mum frantically tried to release her daughter from the pet’s powerful jaws, but the animal adjusted its bite during the attack to get a better hold of the girl’s face, leaving her with deep facial cuts and missing teeth.
At Forfar sheriff court yesterday, unemployed John Towns admitted being the owner of a dangerously out of control animal that permanently disfigured the youngster in the incident at his Glamis Road home on February 27.
Towns, 45, was also charged with supplying diazepam from his home, but a not guilty plea was accepted by the Crown to that part of the indictment.
His partner, Elaine Towns, had her not guilty plea to the Dangerous Dogs Act charge of owning the animal accepted by the Crown.
Depute fiscal Joanne Smith said the young victim’s mum was a friend of the couple and visited their home around 10.30 on the morning of the incident. She took the youngster upstairs and the child went to stroke the dog gently on the back in the living room of the house.
“Suddenly and without warning the dog knocked the child over and held the child’s face in its mouth in a tight grip,” she told the court.
The mum tried to prise the dog’s jaw’s open, but it briefly let go to tighten its grip before she finally managed to get the dog off and pulled her daughter away.
“There were two large gaping wounds on her cheeks and some of her teeth were missing,” the fiscal added.
The six-year-old pet, which Towns had owned since it was a pup, was described as excitable and growling by police who attended the incident.
Towns, who had been in the garden when the attack took place, was shouting at his partner when officers arrived and the couple were clearly upset over the incident, the court heard.
The fiscal said there had been a “significant improvement” in the child’s facial appearance but she may still require plastic surgery.
The dog was removed from the house and has been held in kennels since the attack.
Defence solicitor Nick Markowski said it was accepted Towns had a significant record.
Towns will be sentenced on September 17 following the preparation of reports, at which time the sheriff will also rule on the Crown’s application for the dog to be destroyed.