Community work ordered for dog attack on boy
Owners of potentially dangerous dogs have “high obligations” to ensure people’s safety, said a judge as he imposed 250 hours of community work on a man whose stepson was injured by two rottweilers.
Christchurch District Court Judge Raoul Neave said the sentence “will be sufficient to meet the needs of the case to send the appropriate message about the need for caution”.
Ralph Neville Sparks, 44, had admitted a charge under the Dog Control Act of owning dogs which caused injury to the boy.
The family agreed to both dogs being euthanised immediately after the incident last September.
Judge Neave said the two unregistered rottweilers had previously rushed at people, but had never attacked or bitten anyone.
The boy had taken them for a walk at a park near the family’s home in Bromley, as he had done on other occasions. “For reasons which remain unknown, they turned on him and attacked him quite severely.”
Both dogs attacked the boy. Sparks’ stepdaughter tried to call the dogs off, and other family members had to intervene.
The boy was taken to hospital for treatment for extensive injuries, but they were not as serious as in some other dog attacks. There were four puncture wounds to the thigh, and cuts to his scalp and face.
“There is some suggestion that there may be scarring or surgery required, but there is no suggestion that he is grossly disfigured,” said the judge.
In similar cases, people had gone to prison. There were high obligations placed on owners.
“These dogs are to be regarded as having significant potential danger to the public and to their owners,” Judge Neave said. “As long as they are not illegal, you are entitled to have these dangerous animals, but there are strict obligations imposed to make sure they don’t cause mayhem, damage, injury, or worse.”
In retrospect, the boy was probably too young to have had control of the dogs. He noted that the family had co-operated after the incident and the dogs had been destroyed.
He told Sparks: “There is no suggestion that there is any lack of care in the home. I have no reason to doubt that you are as distressed as anybody.”
Sparks declined to talk about the case with media after the sentencing.
Category: News
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