Kettering woman sentenced after dangerously out of control dog attacked 7-year-old girl

Addressing Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking at Northampton Crown Court, the seven-year-old’s mum read out a statement detailing impact to her daughter and her family of the horrific attack that took place in August 2023.

The court heard that on August 8, during the school holidays, Elise-May Hughes, 28, of Margaret Road, Kettering, had left the dog, called Hollie, in the home telling her own eight-year-old daughter, who was playing in the area with a pal, she was popping out for ‘20 minutes’.

But when the girls decided to return to play in the garden, the pet dog attacked the seven-year-old visitor, savagely biting her chest, torso and leg and bruising her face.

In a personal impact victim, her mum said: “She is still processing the trauma. As a family we have all been affected to watch our little girl go through the pain that she did, the hospital stays and the operations.

“We are still having to deal with the traumatic event months on. She has to see the scars when she looks in the mirror. There is one on the top of her leg, a large bite mark near her ribs and another on her chest.

“The event has knocked her confidence in so many ways and being her mum and dad, it breaks our hearts.”

Hughes had already pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to being the person in charge of dog dangerously out of control causing injury contrary to section 3(1) and (4) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

On Monday (November 18), the court heard that Hughes had been left in charge of the four-year-old dog while her then partner, Benjamin Demaio – the owner of the pet – was at work.

Prosecuting, Kate Jenkin KC told the court the girl had been rescued from further injury by her uncle who had heard screams and a dog barking. He arrived on the scene to see his niece being pulled by her hair by the dog. As he attempted to scare the animal off by shouting he too was bitten on the ankle.

The girl’s mum told the court: “I just want to thank my brother, her uncle, for saving her that day. He is her hero, and I’ll forever be eternally grateful for him. He wasn’t injured very badly but seeing his niece in that state has been complete emotional trauma for him.”

Audio evidence from CCTV picked up a ‘child screaming in terror’. Paramedics were quickly on the scene – her ‘significant injuries’ were described as ‘extensive’ with ‘extremely deep’ lacerations to her torso and leg.

Since the attack, the girl has been receiving ongoing and extensive medical care for her injuries including plastic surgery but her parents have had faced financial hardships, taking time off work to fit in appointments.

Defence counsel Sebastian Walker KC said: “This is a very sad and tragic case. This has clearly had an impact on the family. It was an isolated incident that had very significant effects.”

In mitigation Mr Walker said that Hughes was of ‘good character’ had had accepted responsibility. He said that the dog was owned by her former partner, adding that their relationship had broken down after the incident.

During a pause in sentencing Judge Lucking ordered the public gallery to be cleared, during which tempers frayed in the waiting area. A security guard was called in by court staff to separate family members from the dog’s owner.

Back in court, sentencing Hughes, Judge Lucking said: “The injuries were horrendous. They could have been worse if it hadn’t been for the bravery of her uncle. The dog came out and bit her leg and chest area and bruised her face. As a consequence she has had a series of operations and plastic surgery and psychological damage. It’s been a deeply distressing incident for the whole family.”

Judge Lucking sentenced Hughes to nine months imprisonment suspended for a period of 18 months, an 8pm to 8am curfew for six months and 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

Mr Demaio has been ordered to appear before Judge Lucking on December 20 when she will decide if the dog will be destroyed. It has been in housed kennels since the incident and so far the bill has reached £6,500.