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| Owner of dog which killed 11-month-old guilty of possessing dangerous animal | Owner of dog which killed 11-month-old guilty of possessing dangerous animal |
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| The owner of a dog which mauled an 11-month-old baby to death has been found guilty of possessing a dangerous animal. | The owner of a dog which mauled an 11-month-old baby to death has been found guilty of possessing a dangerous animal. |
| Lee Wright, 27, was warned he faces an immediate prison sentence after pleading not guilty to having in his possession or custody a fighting dog, Snoop, which killed Ava-Jayne Corless in February last year as he and the baby’s mother slept. | Lee Wright, 27, was warned he faces an immediate prison sentence after pleading not guilty to having in his possession or custody a fighting dog, Snoop, which killed Ava-Jayne Corless in February last year as he and the baby’s mother slept. |
| He was convicted of the offence at Blackburn magistrates court on Tuesday after a two-day trial. He will be sentenced later after the district judge Gerald Chalk asked for a pre-sentence report. | |
| Chalk said: “I believe Snoop was of a pit bull terrier type and therefore find Mr Wright guilty of the offence. I take the view that this has resulted in the death; the harm is at the very top. It can’t be beyond that point. As far as I’m concerned it takes me beyond the sentencing guidelines. I’m considering an immediate prison sentence, I think it is only fair I consider a report.” | |
| The defence accepted that Wright was the keeper of the dog which attacked and fatally killed Ava-Jayne. Wright had disputed that Snoop was a banned pit bull type dog in contravention of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, claiming he had believed it to be an American bulldog. | |
| The judge agreed there was no evidence to suggest Wright had known the dog was of a prohibited breed. He added that both expert witnesses had relied on the American Dog Breeders Association as standard in making their assessment of the dog, but said it was “comment rather than definitive”. | The judge agreed there was no evidence to suggest Wright had known the dog was of a prohibited breed. He added that both expert witnesses had relied on the American Dog Breeders Association as standard in making their assessment of the dog, but said it was “comment rather than definitive”. |
| Ava-Jayne suffered multiple injuries inflicted by the nine-stone dog as she slept alone in the bedroom at the home of Wright, her mother’s then boyfriend, in Blackburn on 10 February 2014. | |
| The dog was put down within an hour of the attack. Ava-Jayne’s mother, Chloe King, 21, and Wright said they had fallen asleep on the settee downstairs and believed the dog was in the kitchen blocked in by a speaker and a golf bag stand. | |
| Both were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and child neglect before they were bailed and later told they would not face those charges. | Both were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and child neglect before they were bailed and later told they would not face those charges. |
| Retired veterinary surgeon Peter Olsen, an expert witness for the crown, said he was satisfied the dog had conformed to the type of a pit bull terrier. Olsen said the dog had a heavily muscled front and was finely boned at the rear, a known characteristic exhibited by pit bull terriers. | Retired veterinary surgeon Peter Olsen, an expert witness for the crown, said he was satisfied the dog had conformed to the type of a pit bull terrier. Olsen said the dog had a heavily muscled front and was finely boned at the rear, a known characteristic exhibited by pit bull terriers. |
| He also cited the strength of the dog’s skull, heavy solid legs and the size, depth and shape of the eyes as quintessential of a pit bull terrier. | He also cited the strength of the dog’s skull, heavy solid legs and the size, depth and shape of the eyes as quintessential of a pit bull terrier. |
| But veterinary surgeon and animal behaviour expert Elizabeth Kendal Shepherd said she was “unable to form any reliable opinion” about the breed. | But veterinary surgeon and animal behaviour expert Elizabeth Kendal Shepherd said she was “unable to form any reliable opinion” about the breed. |
| The court heard that Wright had believed the dog was an American bulldog. His solicitor, Gareth Price, said the dog had attended a veterinary surgery on “many occasions”, adding: “Nobody at the veterinary practice had alerted Mr Wright to the fact it was a pit bull terrier. It was recorded at the vets as an American bulldog.” | The court heard that Wright had believed the dog was an American bulldog. His solicitor, Gareth Price, said the dog had attended a veterinary surgery on “many occasions”, adding: “Nobody at the veterinary practice had alerted Mr Wright to the fact it was a pit bull terrier. It was recorded at the vets as an American bulldog.” |
| Price said the RSPCA had cause to speak to Wright about the dog and that “nothing was mentioned that Snoop was of a type prohibited”. He added that Wright had been left “upset” after the events of last year. | Price said the RSPCA had cause to speak to Wright about the dog and that “nothing was mentioned that Snoop was of a type prohibited”. He added that Wright had been left “upset” after the events of last year. |
| The court was also told Wright had been convicted of harassing King last October. | The court was also told Wright had been convicted of harassing King last October. |