Lisa Garner: Woman, 45, faces charges after her Doberman named El Chapo brutally attacks 3-yr-old girl
HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND: A woman received a 10-month sentence following the "terrifying and traumatic" attack on a 3-year-old girl by her "extremely powerful" Doberman named El Chapo. Lisa Garner pleaded guilty to being in charge of the dog that got dangerously out of control which left the little girl requiring emergency surgery as she was rushed to the hospital.
The little girl was left with permanent wounds, is "mentally and physically" damaged, and reportedly wakes up screaming in the middle of the night, as per The Sun. The incident happened earlier this year on August 8, on the street where Garner lives. The young girl encountered Garner and her dog, El Chapo, as she walked home from the shop with her grandmother and her partner, according to prosecutor Martyn Booth.
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Booth told the court, "The girl moves from behind in front of them, she makes no particular sudden movement, she does nothing that in any way can be suggested as provocative or annoying towards the dog, but the dog just went for her. The dog grabbed her around her torso area and basically threw her to the floor." He continued, "The dog was extremely powerful compared to the defendant and it goes without saying it was supremely powerful compared to a three-year-old child. It then wouldn't let her go, it launched onto her around the stomach area."
Booth said it took the grandmother, her partner and two passer by-s to "punch, pinch and kick" the dog to make it stop. He said, "The reality of the situation is had they not become involved, without thought for themselves in the way they did, it doesn't bear thinking what the consequences might have been ultimately." He added, "It was clearly an extremely traumatic, no doubt terrifying, painful experience."
According to the prosecution, the 3-year-old had surgery for three wounds that measured 4 cm, 3 cm, and 1 cm in length on her back, as well as one that measured 6 cm in length on her leg. The girl's mother said in a court statement, "The aftermath has affected her badly, mentally and physically. She now screams in her sleep and wakes herself up screaming as she has flashbacks and nightmares of the incident. She cannot walk down the street now because she screams if she sees a dog, she cannot walk past a dog any more. It's heart-breaking for her and the rest of the family to see her like this. I do not know if my little girl will get over this fear and the trauma that has affected her and her loved ones greatly."
Damian Hayes, defending, said Garner had been involved in dog rescue for 20 years and she has owned six Dobermans in that time. He said, "For her part, Miss Garner feels nothing but shame and regret for what happened." Garner was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court. Judge William Ashworth said, "It was very serious and the dog represented a severe risk. Custody is the only appropriate punishment."