Legal News
Toddler injured in dog attack has lip sewn back (25 April 2014)
Date: 25/04/2014
A toddler from Stoke-on-Trent attacked by a dog in the local park has had her bottom lip stitched back on, after it was left hanging off in the dog attack.
However, the police will not be taking any action against the dog’s owner because the dog was on its lead at the time of the attack.
Lily-May Brindley, aged 22 months, was feeding the ducks in the park with her grandmother last Thursday (18/04/14) when the dog attacked her as she was holding bread.
The Daily Mail reports that Lily-May’s father Jack Brindley, 20, is calling for the dog to be put down, but police say that no crime has been committed because the dog was on a lead.
The dog’s owner Reg Cox, 69, claims that the three-year-old rescue dog was defending itself because it thought Lily-May was provoking her with the bread. Mr Cox added that the dog, Pepper, had never attacked before and he has had her since she was a puppy.
Lily-May’s mother Sarah Wainwright, 20, says her little girl has been unable to sleep at night since the attack and is now on medication.
Staffordshire Police said:
“A one-year-old girl had been bitten on the lip by a Jack Russell dog and this had happened at the park at Smithpool Road, Fenton.
”Patrols attended and spoke to all parties concerned – the parents, the little girl’s nan who was with her at the time, and the dog owner.
“The girl’s father was enquiring with the view to press charges, but then changed his mind. The dog’s owner said he was going to have the dog put down.
“Ultimately there was insufficient evidence to support an offence of having a dog out of control in a public place. The dog was under control on a lead.
“What appears to have happened is the child stood close to the dog while holding a bag containing bread and the dog has bitten her on the mouth.
“We believe the dog was acting on natural instinct and accidentally came into contact with the child’s mouth.”
Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Lawyers for Dog Bites and Animal Attacks
Duncan Lewis personal injury lawyers can advise on how to make a no win no fee compensation claim for injuries resulting from Dog Bites and Animal Attacks.
Personal injury claimants usually have three years from the date of the injury to make a no win no fee compensation claim – and children have three years from the age of 18 in which to claim.
For expert legal advice on no win no fee claims for Dog Bites and Animal Attacks, contact Duncan Lewis personal injury lawyers on 020 7923 4020.