Attack dog 'misheard calls'

Storm was a rottweiler, like the animal pictured

A woman whose Rottweiler bit a schoolboy was freed by a judge at Newport Crown Court after claiming the dog misheard her calls.

Ms Ashford's dog Storm attacked the 15-year-old outside her Cardiff home as he left an army cadet centre.

She denied shouting: "Get him Storm" - but claimed she called: "Get in Storm."

She was cleared of deliberately setting her dog on the boy.

It grabbed my foot and started dragging me on my back

Dog attack victim

The teenager was bitten by the dog and he needed hospital treatment for bite wounds.

Ms Ashford, 31, was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £50 costs for keeping a dangerous dog.

She was found guilty of failing to keep the dog under control and banned from keeping a dog for 10 years.

Storm has since been destroyed.

The court heard Ms Ashford was frightened when the teenager threw stones at her window at Ely.

Prosecutor Stephen Thomas said Ms Ashford and the dog approached the youth as he left an army cadet centre.

'Screamed'

Mr Thomas said: "The dog was growling and the boy backed away from it because he was frightened.

"Ashford was swearing and telling the boy to 'come here'.

"It bit him at the top of his left leg and the boy screamed before falling to the ground.

"The dog clamped itself around the boy's ankle until help arrived."

A commander from the army cadet centre managed to kick the dog to get it to release its grip.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was taken to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff and treated for bite wounds.

'In pain'

He told the court: "The dog was attacking my legs and I fell to the ground. It was shaking its head back and forth.

"It grabbed my foot and started dragging me on my back. I was in pain."

The boy denied throwing stones at Ashford's home.

Judge Tom Crowther QC decided to release Ms Ashford on conditional discharge for a year.