Another Kick In The Gonads For Victims

[bazwillrun]

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/owner-of-devil-dogs-which-savaged-girl-14-to-death-walks-free-from-court-8889633.html

she owned these animalsl, she was responsible for them, they killed a young girl and she gets off to all intents and purpose scot free...even if she commits another offence and her sentence is upheld its only a 16 weeks suspended so shed only serve a few weeks

this is getting out of hand now with some of these do-gooder judges

when will it end

[hc4361]

She wasn't in court for the death of the girl, was she? She was accused of ill treating and causing unnecessary suffering to the dogs.

[McMouse]

So what in your view would be an appropriate punishment?

[woofgang]

There's a gap in the very sad story here.....I wonder if the girl let the dogs out of the cage?

[hc4361]

I believe the law has changed recently or is due to change re dog attacks on the owner's property, as happened here, so that the owner will be able to be prosecuted for attacks on private land.
Obviously it is too late for this case.

[McMouse]

//Custodial.// Yes, but how long?

[woofgang]

It hasn't changed yet and only will cover circumstances where the person is on the secure, ie fenced or enclosed property, with the owners knowledge and permission. Burglars and trespassers NOT covered.

[hc4361]

In that case, Woofgang, it would apply to cases like this one.
The girl had stayed overnight in the dog owner's home where the incident occurred and the attack happened inside the house.

[FredPuli43]

Exactly, hc , she was only in court for maltreating the dogs, not the girl who was killed. Now, there may be a reason in law for this, in that the victim was in her house and not in a public place. I can't see why she wasn't charged with manslaughter, myself. On the face of it, she knew that these dogs were highly dangerous. They presented an obvious risk to anyone. She, knowing this, nevertheless exposed the victim to the risk of being seriously injured or killed, and the victim was killed. Now, I would never doubt the profound wisdom and depth of knowledge of the law of the CPS; I am sure an organisation largely staffed by people who have no professional legal qualifications and haven't practised, but who stick to a brief guidebook, is excellent; and it may be that the facts are not quite as they appear from reports, but I still wonder.

[hc4361]

She wasn't prosecuted for manslaughter due to lack of evidence.
She couldn't be prosecuted under the Dangerous Dogs Act because none of the dogs were of a banned breed.

[vulcan42]

What a strange law, a dangerous dog can only be considered dangerous if it belongs to a banned breed.

[bazwillrun]

you are right hc, but this woman was responsible for this girls death, doesnt it make you blood boil that nothing can be done.

I'll be honest how she treated the dogs is way down my list of concerns in this case, the priority is that she should be punished for the deqth of the girl which as far as i'm concerned she is directly resposible for

[hc4361]

vulcan, that is not the case. The Dangerous Dogs Act became law to stop people owning and breeding specific breeds of dog. Such people could be prosecuted under the Act and the dogs destroyed even if the dogs showed no signs of aggression.
The same Act covers any breed or type of dog if it attacks in a public place.
The law is due to change under the Dog Control Bill.

[hc4361]

We don't know the full circumstances. If the girl was warned not to go in to a certain part of the house where the dogs were, or told not to let the dogs out of their crates or in to the house and she ignored the warnings, as an example, the owner may not fit the criteria for manslaughter.
She certainly does not fit the criteria for murder.

The CPS says there was not enough evidence.

[pixie373]

It's an awful story all round. Are pitbulls not a "dangerous breed"?

[hc4361]

She didn't have a pit bull. Two bull mastiffs and two two staffordshire bull terriers.

[viv38]

I'm sorry baz, but I do care about the way the dogs were treated. They had a hellish life with this vile woman, not enough food, no exercise and stuck in a cramped back yard covered in dog poo. I wish the government would bring in a law to stop people like her owning large numbers of big dogs who don't get the care they need and then, just maybe, there'll be no more tragic cases like poor Jade. But I won't hold my breath !

[pixie373]

The 2nd paragraph in the link says-
//Beverley Concannon kept one of her dogs, a big American bull mastiff, in a tiny cage where it went “stir crazy” along with two other pit bulls and and another bull mastiff//

so the story changed halfway through, or am i just extra-confused today?