Dog owner prosecuted after toddler viciously attacked in own front yard
The child was attacked by two American bulldogs. File photo.
Photo:
123RF
An Auckland woman has been sentenced to community work after her two dogs seriously injured a toddler in an attack in his own front yard.
The two-year-old was mauled by two roaming American bulldogs that came onto his South Auckland property in March last year.
His shoulder blade was fractured, and he had several serious wounds to his head and neck from the "unprovoked and sustained" attack, the council said.
The dogs continued to attack as the boy's mother lifted him to safety and other people tried to help.
CCTV footage showed the attack only stopped when the dogs were removed by the owners' relatives and driven away, the council said.
The toddler had to have multiple operations and a long stay in hospital.
The dogs' owner Janna Faumui pleaded guilty to charges of owning dogs that attacked a person causing serious injury, the council said.
The judge said he was considering a jail term, but Faumi did not have a previous criminal history, did not appear to be a threat to the community and had shown remorse.
She was sentenced to 150 hours community work and told to pay $2000 in emotional harm reparation to the boy's family.
Both the dogs were voluntarily handed over to the council and euthanised after the attack.
Auckland Council said the case was a wake-up call and all dog owners should make sure they were well trained animals and never allowed to roam.
Councillor Josephine Bartlett said dog owners had to understand those duties and would be prosecuted if they failed.
"It is not okay for dogs to be roaming or uncontrolled. The trauma and injuries inflicted on this child were horrific and entirely preventable," she said.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter
curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
5 hours ago
- RNZ News
Campervan driver assaults elderly man on South Island highway
By Tracy Neal, Open Justice reporter of Photo: 123RF A campervan driver head-butted a 71-year-old who stopped on the side of a highway and confronted him about his dangerous driving. The victim had been following Daniel Juan Daly on SH1 in the lower South Island last September. The man saw Daly pass a large truck in a dangerous manoeuvre that forced an oncoming driver off the road. Further up the road the victim watched as Daly pulled over in his campervan, got out, stepped out into the path of the truck and bashed the side of it as it went past. "It's really quite astonishing behaviour," Judge Jo Rielly said in sentencing Daly in the Nelson District Court today on charges of assault and dangerous driving. The court heard how the 39-year-old was driving a campervan north on the state highway near Waitaki on September 5 last year. He was following the large haulage truck and trailer unit which was travelling at a governed speed of 90km/h, meaning it was unable to travel faster. The vehicles then entered a section of the road with an 80km/h speed limit, when Daly, who was frustrated at not being able to pass, made several "erratic moves". As Daly pulled out to pass, he crossed the centre line and accelerated, forcing a south-bound vehicle to take evasive action to avoid a collision. The older driver was travelling two vehicles behind the truck, the police said. When he saw Daly walk out in front of the truck, he pulled off the road and parked in front of his campervan. Daly asked the driver in a confrontational way what he wanted, before lunging at him and knocking him to the ground. The victim got up before Daly again knocked him down and then head-butted him. Police said that after a brief tussle, Daly helped the man to his feet. He was uninjured, but his glasses were damaged. Judge Rielly said he was lucky to be facing a low-level assault charge. Daly, who was no stranger to the court system, including having been earlier convicted on a dangerous driving charge, now lives in a remote area of Marlborough where he works as a pest controller. In Nelson he was convicted, sentenced and fined on the charges, despite his lawyer requesting a sentence that he come up for sentence if called upon. Judge Rielly said that was "an unrealistic submission". Defence lawyer Josh Friend said Daly accepted his manoeuvre in passing the truck was unsafe and that ordinarily he was a "reliable driver". Last year he received his heavy vehicle licence. Friend said Daly's last conviction for violence matters was 11 years ago, and in 2019 he was convicted on a theft charge. Friend said it was Daly's perspective that the scuffle ensued after he was approached by the other driver, but "he took the wrong action by head-butting him". Judge Rielly said Daly's actions had been particularly dangerous, not only because of the type of vehicle he had been driving but because of the sustained period he had been trying to get past the truck. She said his driving had put other road users at risk but his attempt to get in the path of the truck was "really quite astonishing behaviour". On the charge of dangerous driving, Daly was convicted and fined $400 and disqualified from driving for eight months. On the assault charge he was sentenced to 80 hours of community work and ordered to pay $200 in emotional harm reparation. * This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
RNZ News
6 hours ago
- RNZ News
Pedestrian seriously hurt after being hit by car in Otago
Photo: ST JOHN NZ A pedestrian is seriously injured after being hit by a vehicle in Central Otago. Police responded to the crash on State Highway 8 near Roxburgh, which involved a vehicle and a pedestrian. "The pedestrian has been seriously injured," a police spokesperson said. "The road is currently closed, there are diversions in place from Roxburgh to Roxburgh Dam." Motorists were advised to avoid the area and expect delays. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
11 hours ago
- RNZ News
Over 160 cars pulled over as Invercargill police crackdown on antisocial driving behaviour
Photo: A police operation targeting antisocial driving behaviour in Invercargill has resulted in multiple vehicles being issued infringements and ordered off the road. Police said over Friday and Saturday nights officers pulled over 161 vehicles in the city, 54 of which were sent for inspection. Southland area road policing manager Senior Sergeant Scott MacKenzie said this was not good enough. "The number of vehicles ordered off the road really surprised us; coupled with the fact that only eight of the 54 vehicles inspected were found without any faults," he said. "In total the teams stopped 161 vehicles, of which those with numerous and or serious faults came in at 33.5 percent - one third of all cars stopped should not have been on the road. "We've been very clear - we have no tolerance for this behaviour and the havoc it wreaks in our communities." Officers also issued 12 green stickers and 16 pink stickers. Senior Sergeant MacKenzie said he and his colleagues were all too familiar with the devastating impacts that could occur when driving recklessly or at speed, along with the fact many of the vehicles were unsafe to travel in. "We're the ones having to visit families and deliver awful news about their loved ones being involved in serious incidents resulting in injury or death," he said. "Police are sending a message to anyone participating in antisocial road user behaviour - we are ready and waiting, and you can expect us to take action. "We continue to encourage anyone who witnesses this type of activity to report it to Police." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
