Dog owner ‘left man for dead’ after pet attacked him in woods

Nick Evans (right) with his partner Romi Kite
Nick Evans (right) with his partner Romi Kite, who came to his aid after she heard screaming - Romi Kite/SWNS

A man was “left for dead” after he was attacked by a Rottweiler-type dog while out in the woods, it has been claimed.

Nick Evans, 31, had been working on privately owned land when a passing woman’s pet broke free from her grip and started biting him in Sevenoaks, Kent.

The dog, which Mr Evans said looked like a Rottweiler mixed breed, caused injuries to his hip, leg and wrist – and has left him with no feeling in one of his hands.

The 31-year-old had been working on maintaining a bike trail, which he has been doing for the past 13 years with the permission of the landowner, when he was attacked.

Mr Evans said: “I was there doing some maintenance and a lady came walking by with a Rottweiler-type dog that wasn’t muzzled and she didn’t realise I was there.

“I popped up to say hello and the dog broke free from her grip, it just had a little lead on. It sniffed around me and I asked if it was safe and she told me not to touch him.”

Nick Evans in hospital after he was attacked by a dog in Kent
Nick Evans, pictured in hospital following the attack, said he suffered nerve damage to his right wrist after being bitten by the animal - Romi Kite/SWNS

Mr Evans said he then backed up against a tree before the dog jumped on him and started to bite him.

“It took a chunk out of my hip and chunks out of my leg, hand and wrist,” he said.

He said he screamed and tried to wrestle the dog away as the woman stood by.

Eventually, she managed to restrain her pet and told Mr Evans to get away before she jumped over a nearby wire fence, leaving him bleeding and injured on the floor.

Romi Kite, his partner, was caring for some horses in a nearby stable at the time and rushed over after she heard screaming.

She said: “The woman left him to bleed out in the woods and pretty much left him for dead.”

After Mr Evans managed to pull himself up, the pair attempted to follow the dog owner and begged her for her details.

However, the woman told Mr Evans to get away and “threatened to set the dog” on him if he did not leave her alone, he claimed.

“At this point, I was bleeding so much and we had to go to the hospital,” he said.

A close-up view of an injury suffered by Nick Evans in a dog attack
Mr Evans said he had lost all feeling in his hand following the attack - Romi Kite/ SWNS

The bike technician then went to A&E at Princess Royal University Hospital in Orpington, where he was fast-tracked because of the severity of his injuries.

He was referred to Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead the next morning for trauma plastic surgery.

Mr Evans said he suffered nerve damage to his right wrist and had lost all feeling in his hand, leaving him currently unable to work.

He added: “The doctors said the feeling will come back but there’s a chance it’s permanent damage. I can’t cook, shower or dress myself at the moment.

“All my hobbies involve tools. I do car mechanics and restore classic cars as a hobby so I can’t do any of that.

“The doctors said the healing time should be around three months but to get full feeling back could be up to a year.”

Police confirmed officers were investigating the attack, which took place in the Knockholt area just after 4pm on Oct 30.

A police spokesman said: “Inquiries are ongoing into the circumstances surrounding the incident.”