A MARRIED couple who were tragically mauled by four viscous dogs at a barbecue have been left traumatised and the husband “permanently disfigured.”
The male was viciously attacked, losing his lower ear, while his wife suffered scratches and was left “distraught”.
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On Thursday, the dog owners appeared at Newcastle Crown Court to be sentenced for the event which took place on December 27, 2021, ChronicleLive reports.
The court heard that when the attack occurred, friends Daniel Hutchinson, 33, and Michelle King, 44, were at a barbecue in North Tyneside.
Dog-breeder Hutchinson was hosting the event at his then-address on Blackhill Avenue in Wallsend.
His two American Bull Mastiffs called Flake and Major were there, along with King’s two dogs of the same breed, Ghost and Bonny.
King had purchased the dogs from Hutchinson.
During the barbecue, the four hounds ran off and attacked an unsuspecting couple.
Prosecutor, Rachel Kelly told the court that the four dogs were playing unsupervised when the four dogs ran off and mauled the victims at around 8.30pm.
She said: “Both were taken to the ground. [The man] was bitten a number of times, causing the loss of his lower ear.
“He sustained puncture wounds and injuries to his hands and fingers. [The woman] sustained scratches.”
Hutchinson – who said he’d been away buying cannabis at the time – and King, then ran to the dogs and rounded them up before returning to the house, where an ambulance was then called.
The dog owners appeared in court via video links on Thursday to be sentenced for offences of being an owner/person in charge of a dangerously out of control dog.
Both defendants pleaded guilty.
The court heard that the man had been left “permanently disfigured” after the viscous attack.
In a victim statement the woman said she felt “distraught that this could happen.”
While Hutchinson, from Fife, Scotland, had 24 previous convictions for 44 offences, including criminal damage.
He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, but due to time spent on remand, he will likely be released immediately.
Recorder Nathan Moxon said that attack was an “isolated, one-off incident” and did not ban either of the defendants from keeping animals.
King, from Thornton, Scotland, had a previous conviction for wasting police time, bur was of good character, the court heard.
The court was told that she was remorseful, saying the attack was a tragic accident.
Mark Harrison, defending, asked for King’s prison sentence to be suspended, explaining that professionals had previously been around her dogs and “felt safe.”
The court also heard that King has a history of poor mental health and is at a “low risk of repetition.”
She was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for 18 months.
Mr Moxon added that the incident must have been “a truly terrifying experience” for the victims.
No destruction orders were made and the two no longer own the Bull Mastiffs.
Which dog breeds are banned in the UK?
THERE are specific regulations in place that prohibit certain dog breeds from being owned or bred in the UK.
So what are the illegal dogs in the UK and why are they illegal? Here’s what we know.
Which dog breeds are illegal in the UK?
People tend to think of large, vicious dogs when they imagine being bitten by one.
But the truth is that many types of dogs are known to bite humans, whether provoked or not.
However, it’s important to remember that just because a breed tends to bite humans, that doesn’t mean that they all do.
British law determines five breeds of dog are illegal to own, breed, sell or give away.
These are an XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro.