Suspended sentence over dog attack

Anna Dudek, 29, was told she would be in serious trouble if the pet ever got out again and bit a child or another human being.

Recorder Richard Mansell QC could have ordered the immediate destruction of the dog, but after being told that the mother of the injured girl did not want it to be killed he imposed a suspended destruction order on the animal.

Bradford Crown Court heard that since the incident outside Dudek's home in Whiteacre Close in April a new fence more than two metres high had been put up around her property and a broken lock on her gate is fixed.

The mother and her daughter, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, were confronted by the dog, which jumped up at them, knocking both to the ground. It then bit the young girl on her forehead. When the mother tried to intervene she was bitten on the arm.

The defendant came out of her home and tried to control the dog, which was not wearing a collar, but it broke free and ran into a neighbour's garden. Another resident brought out a dog lead which was used to take it back to its house.

The girl suffered a small wound to her forehead and her mother a bite mark to her elbow.

Last month Dudek admitted being the owner of a dog which caused injury while being dangerously out of control in a public place.

Her barrister, Richard Clews, said she was sorry for what happened and accepted responsibility for it.