Postman needed 17 stitches after dog attack

[wannabeek]

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/crime/postm ... _1_1524661

A postman needed 17 stitches after he was mauled by a dog which was supposed to be muzzled and in a cage, Norwich magistrates court heard on Wednesday.

The postman was attacked by the Staffordshire bull terrier after putting mail through the door of a home on Common Road, Bressingham. The dog sprinted out of a neighbouring house and chased him into his van, clamping its jaws around his right arm as he fled.

He had to slam the van door against the animal to get it to release its grip. With his arm soaked in blood, a neighbour came to his aid and called an ambulance to take the “shocked and frightened” postman to hospital, where he received stitches in his arm and elbow. However, the wound became infected and the nerve and tendons were damaged. The court heard he was still off work.

A previous civil court order made against the dog meant it was supposed to be in a cage, muzzled or on a lead, but it managed to get out of the house as its owners were in their garden.

Donna Hilton, the dog’s owner, admitted a charge of allowing her dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place, causing injury, on July 21. The 29-year-old had her pet put down three days after the attack.

Damien Moore, mitigating for Hilton, said the attack was truly horrific, adding: “She deeply regrets this tragic incident and at the time she was shocked and upset to see what happened to the postman.

“She fully cooperated with the police in their investigation. She has been upfront from the beginning. She has taken all the steps necessary to ensure that this will not happen again.”

The case was adjourned to October 10 for sentencing.

[andy2007]

So the Dog was put down, but what do you want to bet, that the owner just gets a slapped wrist (e.g. Community Service or a small fine)?
It's all very well blaming the Dog. But it's invariably the owners who're at fault. Either by not bothering to train and look after them properly. Or taking on a breed, which is beyond their capabilities to control. Not all Dogs are suitable for inexperienced owners, but many just buy them because they look cute as Puppies, or they have "Street Cred".

[R@YAL F@IL]

Was the dog put down?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Was the dog put down?

The 29-year-old had her pet put down three days after the attack.

[andy2007]

Anyone know how the Postie is coping?

[icleaves]

Anyone know how the Postie is coping?

thanks for asking - managers never even called to see how i was - all they were concerned about was did i manage to clear my boxes - anyway back at work now on a different duty - still thinking about attack but hopefully that should go away one day!

[icleaves]

Anyone know how the Postie is coping?

thanks for asking - managers never even called to see how i was - all they were concerned about was did i manage to clear my boxes - anyway back at work now on a different duty - still thinking about attack but hopefully that should go away one day!

ps dog owner never saw my arm she just picked up the dog and went into her house - what a cow!

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Welcome mate, shocking to hear what happened to you and I hope you recover fully.

[wannabeek]

Update in the local newspaper after court appearance this week:

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/dog_owners_ ... _1_1652149

Dog owners warned to take responsibility after attack on Norfolk postman

Dog owners were warned last night to control their pets after a dog freed a window latch at a house in south Norfolk and attacked a postman.

Ian Cleaves needed 17 stitches after a Staffordshire bull terrier mauled his right arm and elbow on July 21 during a routine mail delivery at Bressingham, near Diss.

The dog managed to knock a latch on a front-room window and chased Mr Cleaves to his van where it attacked him, injuring his arm’s nerve and tendons.

Joint-owner Donna Hilton, 29, of Pipers Piece, Common Road, appeared at Norwich Magistrates court yesterday (Wednesday). She said she did not know her seven-year-old dog had attacked Mr Cleaves.

Last night the Crown Prosecution Service and Norfolk Constabulary said dog attacks were not on the rise but owners needed to take responsibility.

Senior district crown prosecutor for CPS Norfolk, Frank Ferguson, said because there had been a number of serious cases involving vulnerable people, such as the elderly and children, there was more public interest.

He added: “The courts have plenty of power to deal with these types of cases, including imprisonment. There does not need to be a change in the law.

“Any reasonable dog owner who keeps their dog under control does not need to worry.”

A Norfolk police spokesman said action would be taken if a dog was a danger to the public. He added: “The dog section for Norfolk and Suffolk has three trained dog legislation officers, who are trained and qualified to identify and handle prohibited and dangerous dogs.”

Royal Mail said it had recently injected more than £100,000 on equipment and awareness campaign “Bite Back” to help reduce the risk of injury to their staff and the number of dog attacks had reduced during April 2011 to April 2012 - nationally there are around 4,000 dog attacks on Royal Mail staff per year.

During this period there were a total of 41 attacks in the NR postcode area, down by 25pc, 40 in the IP postcode area, down by 22pc and 81 in the PE postcode area, down by 9pc.

Royal Mail spokesman Morag Turnbull said: “Even just being threatened by an unrestrained pet is a frightening situation and we would appeal to owners to keep their pets under control, especially if they know their pets have a territorial nature.”

The court heard from Gary Mayle, prosecuting, that Mr Cleaves had been “frightened” of the dog and logged concerns with the Royal Mail about “previous difficulties”.

Ian Fisher, for Ms Hilton, said she was “very upset” by what had happened and had made the decision with her partner to put the family dog to sleep.

“It had not been envisioned this sequence of events would happen at all.”

Ms Hilton pleaded guilty and was given 150 hours’ community service and asked to pay £1,000 in compensation and £85 court fees.

[Stormproof]

Royal Mail said it had recently injected more than £100,000 on equipment

What equipment?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

say 1,000,000 at 10p each = sounds good in the press, next to useless on the ground.