Couple jailed after Akita dog leaves toddler with 'truly breathtaking' injuries
The owners of a dangerous Akita dog that savaged a toddler, leaving them with "breathtaking" facial injuries have been jailed.
Kayleigh Godbert, 39, and Thomas Moir, 38, of North Wale were both jailed today for 18 months after they admitted owning or being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control which caused injury.
A judge at Mold Crown Court heard the toddler was bitten six times one night and will be scarred for life.
The court heard Moir had been drinking for 18 hours and was asleep at the time of the incident. A court order prohibits identification of the the injured child.
Prosecutor Emmalyne Downing said Godbert had bought the Akita dog from a Pets4Homes website for £150. But one Spring it became aggressive and bit someone.
Afterwards a woman warned Moir: "That dog could have ripped them to bits". She urged Moir to "get rid of the dog because it could not be trusted".
However he didn't and several months later it bit the victim in this case, the court heard. An ambulance was called to the scene.
A paramedic found the child had a deep laceration to the head and a facial injury. They were taken to hospital.
Duncan Bould, for Godbert, said she had tried to have the dog rehomed after that first incident and that she believed it should have been put down.
She is frightened of the prospect of going to prison, added Mr Bould. Alexandra Carrier, defending Moir, said her client had taken steps to rehome the dog but there had been a "failure to see them through".
"It was not a failure to act altogether," she added. He has had alcohol misuse issues but had abstained from drinking alcohol for nine months before his pre-sentence report.
The judge His Honour Simon Mills said the first incident had been a "clear warning that the dog posed a risk". He told the defendants: "I accept you had taken some steps to rehome it or muzzle it but it can't have been muzzled because it caused the injuries it did.
"It bit (the child) six times. The injuries (they) suffered in what appears to have been an unrestrained dog attack were frightening, and although the doctors have done a good job in repairing those injuries (the child) still, to this day, carries the scars."
An expert who has seen the child said the appearance of the scars "is getting worse with time," the judge said.
The dog had been "utterly beyond" the defendants' ability to control it, he added.
The injuries were "truly breathtaking" and the dog should have been euthanised before that attack, said the judge.
It has in fact been put down since then but that factor "pales into insignificance in comparison to what it did to (the child). This incident could and should have been foreseen," he added.
Jailing the defendants, he also disqualified them from keeping or owning a dog for seven years.
Detective Constable James Grimwood said: 'This was a horrific incident and has sadly resulted in serious and lasting injuries to a vulnerable child. Both Moir and Godbert have shown little remorse throughout this investigation despite the lifelong consequences their actions have had on a young child.
'The court outcome reflects the seriousness of this incident, and I hope that this sends a message to any dog owners to ensure that they do not leave dogs alone with children. I would urge anyone with information of concerns around a dangerous dog to report this to North Wales Police via 101 or though Crime Stoppers.'
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The Sun
a day ago
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