Dog owner whose pit bulls mauled seven-year-old girl spared jail

A dog owner whose pit bull terriers mauled a seven-year-old girl at a cricket club has been spared jail.

Robert Parsons, 27, was arrested after the animals attacked the child at Micklehurst Cricket Club in Mossley, Greater Manchester.

The dogs grabbed the girl’s leg, with one refusing to let go even after her father seized it by the neck.

The victim was taken to hospital for plastic surgery and was temporarily confined to a wheelchair. She received scars that are said to be permanent.

Parsons, an engineer who is also an opening batsman at the club, was detained by police at the pitch side and the dogs were seized. They have since been destroyed.

At Tameside magistrates’ court, Parsons pleaded guilty to two charges of being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury, and two of possessing or having custody of a fighting dog.

He was sentenced to six months in prison suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 170 hours of unpaid work.

The incident occurred on Oct 29 last year when the girl, who cannot be named, visited the club with her father.

Katherine Wright, prosecuting, said Parsons was walking the dogs on the pitch with his girlfriend at the time. One was on a lead and one was not.

She told the court: “The girl ran onto the cricket pitch, and as she did so, the dog that was off its lead ran over to her, jumped up and knocked her over.

“The defendant went to help pick her back up … however the dog knocked her over again.

“The dog which was on [a] lead then slipped its lead and also ran over to the girl, whose father heard the defendant’s partner shouting and screaming at the dogs.”

The court heard the girl was treated at Manchester Children’s Hospital for “several substantial wounds to her leg” which had to be re-dressed every few days. She required physiotherapy and initially used a wheelchair before switching to a walking frame.

In a statement, the girl’s father said: “I feel that all I do now is cry. I can hear her screams all the time and I can’t get away from them. My daughter … refuses to go anywhere where a dog may be and it’s not like her.

“It’s heartbreaking to see her holding back on her childhood when she should be carefree and having fun.”

The girl’s mother said: “[My daughter] didn’t do anything or aggravate anyone – all she did was walk outside with her dad. Seeing her afraid to take our own dog for a walk has been heartbreaking.”

Parsons, of Ashton-under-Lyne, was said to have “expressed regret” to the police for what had happened, claiming the dogs had never previously displayed bad temperament or behaviour.

Dog owner ‘overwhelmed with guilt’

Simran Garcha, his counsel, said: “Mr Parsons is in emotional turmoil, is overwhelmed with guilt and cannot apologise enough to the victim and her family.

“He acknowledges that she will have suffered a great deal of pain and distress not only at that moment but also going forward and will likely fear unknown dogs in future.”

She said that while police had assessed the dogs as pit bull-type dogs, Parsons had believed they were Staffordshire bull terriers when he bought them.

Ms Garcha said Parsons claimed the dogs had not been aggressive in the almost two-year period he had owned them and “what happened was a complete shock … a catastrophic accident and mistake, a lapse of judgement”.

Sentencing Parsons, Judge Tina Landale told him: “The appalling legacy of this attack is set out in the impact personal statements which explained the trauma suffered by the whole of the family, but in particular by the little girl who endured a four-hour operation with a significant follow-up of mental trauma and terror, for which she is receiving counselling.”