A woman has been found not guilty in connection with a dog attack that seriously injured a young boy in Northumberland.
Sharon Sweetlove was the owner of Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Boxer cross, Luna, when she escaped from a house and mauled the child as he played in a street in Ashington on October 22 2023. The youngster was left with serious injuries and spent three days in hospital, where he needed surgery and stitches to help repair wounds to his leg, hands and ear.
Sweetlove’s daughter Savannah Sweetlove previously pleaded guilty to being in charge of a dog that was dangerously out of control and caused injury in relation to the attack. Savannah was disqualified from keeping a dog for a year with an order that Luna be destroyed.
She was also ordered to pay compensation of £250.
Sharon Sweetlove, of Ashington, was Luna’s owner at the time but had left the animal with Savannah, now 18, while she went to visit her partner in Lynemouth.
Savannah accidentally let the dog out, which is when it went on to attack the boy. Sharon previously pleaded not guilty to being the owner of the dog who was dangerously out of control and caused injury and stood trial at South East Northumberland Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Sharon Sweetlove, 42, argued that she’d left the pet in the care of her daughter with “strict instructions” on how to look after her. Brian Payne, prosecuting, claimed that Sharon had not given those instructions and, therefore, hadn’t transferred the dog’s care over to her daughter.
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Mr Payne said: “You are now saying you did give proper instructions about the dog because you’re now in trouble. What you didn’t do on the day in question was to give those instructions to [Savannah]. You just had a discussion about the fact you were going out.”
My Payne said Sharon Sweetlove had been given advice by a police officer in the past in relation to Luna, who “didn’t like other dogs” and could be classed as “boisterous”. Giving evidence, Sharon Sweetlove said she was adamant that she’d given instructions on how to look after Luna when she left her.
She said: “I gave instructions on how to look after Luna. I told [Savannah] not to let her out of the house or to let anyone in.” Magistrates deemed that Sharon Sweetlove’s evidence was credible and dismissed the case against her.
Chair of the bench, John Carson, said: “She effectively transferred control of the dog over to that other person. The defendant was not in charge of the dog at the time, [Savannah] was.”