Court told of owner's 'heartbreak' after puppy killed by pit bull

Diane Jones desperately screamed for help after the out-of-control dog jumped onto her 18-week-old Springer Spaniel, Stripe, and latched onto his neck.

But its owner, Kayleigh Roberts, just stood silently watching and then walked away while Mrs Jones struggled in vain to get the powerful beast off her puppy.

The dog, called Apollo, did let go briefly but only to bite her hand and then sank its teeth back into Stripe’s neck before other horrified dog walkers came to their aid and managed to tether him to a tree with a spare lead Mrs Jones had been using to train her beloved pet.

Unfortunately, Apollo broke free and “while Mrs Jones was cradling Stripe bleeding in her arms he jumped up and latched onto his flank and would not let go,” Liverpool Crown Court heard.

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It was only the intervention of the brave dog walkers that finally got him off, “with one described as lying on top of him to stop him going back to Stripe.”

In an impact statement following the attack at 6pm on April 23 this year Mrs Jones, an NHS worker said she had to take time off sick for only the third time in her career because of the traumatic impact on her.

At Roberts' sentencing hearing on Thursday at the court, prosecuting barrister Derek Jones said: “She (Mrs Jones) said she is totally numb and having flashbacks, seeing the dog running over the hill.

"She is still trying to block the incident out of her mind because it is too much to recall.

“Psychologically it will take a long time to move forward from the attack.

"She’ll never recover from the heartbreak and trauma. Walking around the golf course used to be her happy place and she is unable to do that now.

He added: “It was a long time before she could walk her older dog and she still has an area of numbness on her finger.”

Mr Jones said that on a positive note, she received “hundreds of messages of goodwill and flowers from other members of the community and total strangers about the attack on her and her dog.”

At Thursday's hearing, the prosecutor said: “Police attended and the dog was restrained and Stripe was taken to the vets but sadly in the early hours in the next morning he died as a result of injuries inflicted by the defendant’s dog.”

After the incident at the former Eccleston Park golf course site, Mrs Jones was taken to hospital where she needed antibiotics and an anti-tetanus injection for the puncture wound to her middle finger. Her adjoining finger was also left marked.

Apollo was identified by a police dog expert as having the characteristics of a pit bull type dog which is a banned breed and it was destroyed.

When interviewed 23-year-old Roberts said she had only had the dog for about 10 days and believed it was an XL Bully and had been told it was good with other dogs.

She said she walked away from the scene as she panicked and had been scared.

When Mrs Jones’ statement was read to her she was crying and sobbing, said the prosecutor.

Roberts, of Rainhill, pleaded guilty to being in charge of an out-of-control dog which caused injury and possessing a fighting dog.

Kayleigh Roberts (Image: Lynda Roughley)

Bernice Campbell, defending, said that Roberts has no previous convictions and leaving the scene had been “a flight or fight” response rather than her not caring.

She was with her 14-year-old sister and they ran in panic but she voluntarily went to the police station the next day.

Her mum had bought Apollo from a website and he was described as a three-year-old XL Bully who was not aggressive.

He was strong and jumping up and should have been on a lead or muzzled, said Ms Campbell.

She explained that the defendant had only taken ownership of Apollo because her mum’s dog was in season and they did not want puppies, adding: ”She never wants to get a dog again.”

“It was the first time she had owned a dog and was not aware of the consequences or how to look after a dog of that build….She looked after it for her mum out of good faith.”

She had only walked the dog twice before and although he had a harness he was too strong for her which is why he was off the lead.

The sentencing took place at Liverpool Crown Court

Judge Denis Watson, KC, told Roberts, who wiped away tears: “Knowing it was strong and an uncontrolled dog you nonetheless took it out off the lead which is a reckless thing that you did.”

He said that when Apollo attacked Stripe being exercised and trained, “and attacked it repeatedly you did absolutely nothing to help at all. You have displayed by this series of acts the fact that you are utterly unfit to have ownership or custody of a dog.”

The judge said that as well as Mrs Jones being bitten trying to save her dog “the lasting effect on her is the mental impact of seeing a dog that she loved being attacked so viciously by your animal”.

He sentenced her to eight months imprisonment suspended for two years and ordered her to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation activities.

Judge Watson banned Roberts from owning a dog for life

The court heard that Mrs Jones was landed with a vets bill of almost £4,000 but fortunately, this was covered by her insurance.

Judge Watson ordered the defendant to pay the £85 excess Mrs Jones incurred claiming on the policy.