Woman facing jail for dog attack

Fiona Craig was said to be horrified by the attack

A woman whose dog mauled a four-year-old partially sighted boy has been warned there is a "real possibility" she faces jail.

Thomas Miles was attacked as he walked home from a chip shop in Greenfield, Flintshire, with his father last month.

Fiona Craig, 44, also from Greenfield, admitted at Flintshire Magistrates Court that Bruno, a bullmastiff-cross, was dangerously out of control.

Magistrates adjourned sentencing on Craig for a month for reports.

Thomas was treated in hospital for arm and leg wounds after the incident on the Tan y Felin estate on 24 April.

The dog was later put down.

Clearly the Miles family have been through hell and she wished to apologise for what has happened Huw Roberts, defending Craig

Prosecutor David Boycott told the court how the animal pulled Thomas away from his father Stephen, who is also partially sighted.

"The dog came right up to him and he felt his young son's hand slip away from him, " Mr Boycott said.

"He froze for a few seconds and saw that his son was on the floor screaming 'dad, dad'".

He described how the dog got on top of the boy "shaking him in his jaws" and how Craig, it was alleged, appeared frozen and did not intervene.

Mr Miles screamed at Craig "get the dog off, get if off" and punched it till it finally let go of the child, said Mr Boycott.

Thomas Miles spent two nights in hospital after the attack

As Mr Miles picked his son up, the dog grabbed the boy again, locking its jaws around the boy's arm

Mr Boycott said then Mr Miles was finally forced to put his fingers in the dog's eyes, to make it let go.

The father then ran to the nearby home of an off-duty police officer who was also attacked by the animal.

Mr Boycott said as well as the scarring, Thomas had suffered psychological damage.

"The child is terrified of walking down the street and again being confronted by an animal, " he said.

Stone in weight

Interviewed by police, Craig said she had owned the dog for two years since it was five months old, and it had never been aggressive.

Huw Roberts, defending her, said the dog escaped as she returned from shopping and Craig believed it was attracted by the smell of the chips.

He said Craig had been devastated by what had happened, had been unable to eat or sleep, and had lost a stone in weight.

He said she had not stood back and "done nothing" when the attack took place and there was independent evidence that she had been pulling at the dog.

"Clearly the Miles family have been through hell and she wished to apologise for what has happened," Mr Roberts added.

Craig was bailed for sentencing on 25 June.

Outside court, Thomas's aunt, Caroline Miles, said that her nephew was recovering but they were lucky he was alive.

"But for the way Stephen and the off-duty police officer acted he might not be here today," she said.