A dog clamped its jaw around a young girl's arm and treated her like a "chew toy", a court has heard.
The victim has been left with scarring and nerve damage to her arm and with a fear of all dogs including her own pet which her family had to get rid of. Newport Crown Court was told the attack was the second time in a matter of months that Duke - a Staffie-Bullmastiff cross - had bitten a child.
Jade Bibbings, a Greggs bakery manager who is the owner of the dog, has been handed a suspended prison sentence and been banned from keeping dogs for five years while a destruction order has been issued for Duke. Tom Roberts, prosecuting said the incident happened at the defendant's home in Cardiff in April 2022 though she was not present at the time.
He said the victim - a visitor to the address - stroked Duke on the head but when she moved her hand away from the dog he attacked her. The court heard the dog "latched his jaw" around the girl's arm, would not let go, and the girl began screaming and kicking out at the animal. One of the defendant's daughters tried to get the dog to release his grip but to no avail.
The prosecutor said Duke then began shaking his head from side to side and one witness described how it was as if he had a "chew toy" in his mouth. In a desperate attempt to free herself the victim forced her free hand into the dog's mouth - the dog loosened it's grip but additional injuries were caused to the hand.
The court heard the girl fled the property and neighbours found her "bleeding profusely" from wounds to her arm and in a state of shock and "great distress". The police had already been called by neighbours who had heard the commotion inside the address. The court heard that officers were soon on the scene and tended to the injured child who asked them several times if she was going to die.
The victim was taken to hospital suffering with multiple lacerations and puncture wounds to her arm including one "gaping wound" of some 4cm in length to the rear of the elbow. She also had injuries to the thumb and finger on the other hand, and a laceration on one ankle. The wounds were cleaned and the following say she underwent surgery.
In an impact statement which was read to the court the girl said she had been left with scarring on her arm and hand, has lost feeling in the lower part of her arm, and has suffered muscle and nerve damage. She said apart from the physical scarring she was also struggling to cope with the huge emotional and psychological impact of the attack.
She said she struggles to sleep at night due to anxiety, does not want to leave the house or go to school, and has been left with a fear of all dogs including her own pet which the family had to get rid of.
The court heard Duke had first come to the attention of police in December 2021 after reports it had bitten a child during a visit to the Bibbings' house. No formal complaint was made to the police on that occasion and no further action was taken. The prosecutor said the Crown was seeking a destruction order in regard to the dog which was currently being kennelled.
Jade Bibbings, of Caerau, Cardiff, had previously pleaded guilty to being the owner of a dog which caused injury while dangerously out of control when she appeared in the dock for sentencing. The 38-year-old has no previous convictions. Matthew Comer, for Bibbings, said the defendant worked full-time as a manager of a Gregg's shop in Cardiff while also being a full-time mother.
He said in the defendant's own words she would "lose everything" if she were to receive a sentence of immediate custody. The barrister said Duke was not a dog which typically exhibits aggression and the defendant was "appalled" at the injuries he had caused. He added that his client understood why a destruction order for the dog was being asked for and she did not oppose it, but he said it had been a difficult position for her to come to terms with.
Recorder David Harris said the dog had carried out a "savage and sustained" attack on the child, and said it must have been a been a terrifying incident for the young victim. He said the attack happened four months after a previous incident at the address, an incident which he noted the defendant had referred to in her police interview as a "play bite".
Bibbings was sentenced to 14 months in prison suspended for 24 months and was ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work in the community and to pay the victim £1,500 in compensation. The recorder said he was satisfied the defendant was not a fit and proper person to have control of a dog he banned her from owning one for the next five years. A destruction order for Duke was made.