Man avoids jail after dog mauls woman to death

A FORMER British Army paratrooper whose dog mauled a woman to death avoided jail after admitting that he kept his animal in a cage more than six inches shorter than the dog.

Barbara Williams, aged 52, suffered a severe haemorrhage to her head and neck when she was attacked by the Neapolitan mastiff at her home on December 23, 2010.

Alex Blackburn-Smith, from south London, previously pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the dog’s welfare and to being in possession of a banned pitbull terrier.

In a hearing at Croydon Magistrates’ Court yesterday, he was given a community sentence of 150 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay costs of £3,340 (€4,008).

Richard Jeffries, defending, told the court the Neapolitan mastiff, named DB0, was owned by Mr Blackburn-Smith because it was “loveable”.

He said the dog was “bought as a family pet” and was the “same style of dog that you would see in the film Harry Potter”.

Prosecutor Angela Williams said the victim was in the kitchen of her home on Demesne Road, Wallington, when she was attacked by the dog.

“It would appear that the dog managed to force the cage door open in standing up,” she said.

The court heard the emergency services were called but the woman could not be saved.

“They arrived on the scene within five minutes and discovered a female with serious injuries lying in the hallway. She was subsequently pronounced dead,” Ms Williams said.

The dog was shot dead by police marksmen after the savage attack, andanother dog, a pitbull puppy called Ruby, was removed from the property.

District Judge Robert Hunter described the case as “an unusual situation’ as he passed sentence.

The prosecutor said the death of Ms Williams was “a direct result of the dog’s incarceration in the cage”.

But Mr Jeffries said “no-one knows what set the dog DB0 off”. He said: “It might have been a contributing factor. I don’t think the court can take it any further than that.”

In mitigation, Mr Jeffries also said police and animal welfare officers, including the RSPCA had visited the home prior to the attack.