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Daily Record
Daily Record
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Mark Naylor & Kaitlin Easton

Schoolgirl, 11, one of three attacked by 'dangerous and crazy' dog

An 11-year-old schoolgirl was one of three people injured by a "dangerous and crazy" dog that launched separate attacks on members of the public.

The youngster continues to suffer nightmares after the brutal attack while she walked home from school last year and has been left with lasting damage after suffering a deep wound on her wrist.

Hull Crown Court heard a 74-year-old man and 20-year-old woman were also attacked by the brown Alsatian-type dog on separate occasions.

Faisal Waleed, 30, of Alliance Avenue, Hull, admitted being the owner of a dangerously out of control dog that caused injury on November 30, December 1 and December 16.

He was jailed for two years and banned from owning a dog indefinitely, Hull Live reports.

Prosecutor Rachel Scott told the court that a pensioner was injured during the dog's first attack as he enjoyed his daily morning walk around 8am on November 30.

The 74-year-old was walking in Victoria Dock, Hull, when the canine attacked him - running out from behind a ball and taking him to the ground.

Waleed tried to get his dog off the victim as he screamed but the pet lashed out again, biting his left shoulder and then biting his right shoulder.

After the attack, the victim declined Waleed's offer to pay for a taxi home or call and ambulance and attended hospital himself, receiving treatment for cuts and severe bruises to his right arm and bruises to both shoulders.

He later said: "I am now very conscious of any dog that I see in the street. I now feel very anxious when I see dogs off-lead.

"I was fortunate enough to be wearing a thick coat, which took in most of the damage. I think that if I had not been wearing it, I would have been more seriously injured.

"I suffered for a few months afterwards with pain in the affected areas, which, thankfully, now has worn off. I sometimes get flashbacks of the incident, particularly when I am walking through the area where the attack happened.

"I am wary of any dog and look carefully around myself whenever I go out. I even jumped at a bird the other day, which I don't think I would have done if I had not been attacked."

The next day, Waleed put a lead on the dog but was not holding it as it dragged along the ground. A 20-year-old woman was walking in Lock Keepers Court around 7pm as Waleed walked two animals.

The dog launched itself at the woman and bit down on her right arm as Waleed watched on.

"The dog continued to bite her arm and jumped up towards her face," said Miss Scott. "This went on for about one minute."

Waleed did then get off the bench where he had been sitting and struggled to pull the dog off the woman. "The dog did release her arm," said Miss Scott. Waleed returned to sitting on the bench and shouted: "Ambulance, ambulance."

The woman's jacket, valued at £300, was torn. She suffered red marks and bruises to her arm.

"She now has an increased fear of dogs," said Miss Scott. "That's very disappointing to her because she is a dog lover."

The woman still had pains in her arm from the attack and it felt weakened. She believed that she had muscle damage and she had pain and aching when working. "It's very uncomfortable," she said.

"I have been left with lasting damage to my arm and permanent mental issues through my fear of dogs and being attacked."

The final incident on December 16 saw an 11-year-old schoolgirl attacked as Waleed walked the same dog on a elastic lead and held it with one hand.

The schoolgirl's wound had to be stitched (Hull Live)

The girl was walking home from school on Lock Keepers Court when the dog started barking at her.

"The dog lunged at her and broke away from the defendant," said Miss Scott. "It bit her on the left wrist, causing her to the fall to the floor.

"She was screaming and could see blood running down her arm. The defendant pulled the dog away, initially without success. On pulling a second time, it did let go of her. A passer-by saw what happened and helped her and called an ambulance."

Waleed said: "Please, I'll do anything. Come back to my flat." He started to punch and kick the dog repeatedly. The girl suffered a deep wound to her wrist, which had to be stitched.

The youngster, now 12, has now been left with a crippling fear of dogs despite previously loving them and is on the waiting list for therapy due to continual nightmares.

She still does not have any feeling in two of her fingers due to the attack. Her mum said: "She is still extremely frightened of dogs and now doesn't want to go anywhere near them.

"The nightmares are still continuing and the nightmares are upsetting her greatly. Her personality has changed. She has lost a lot of confidence even now six months later."

Miss Scott told the court: "He knew his dog was dangerous and crazy."

The animal was later put to sleep when it was seized by officers and took unwell, with Waleed apparently refusing to pay vet fees for treatment.

Julia Baggs, mitigating, said: "These are troubling offences, which led to deeply unpleasant injuries."

"He was living alone at the time in a flat on Victoria Dock," said Miss Baggs. "He was struggling clearly with the dog's behaviour and was not aware that it was going to be aggressive.

"The dog has been destroyed. He doesn't recall being asked to pay vet's fees."

Waleed, an asylum seeker from Kuwait, wanted to apologise to the victims and said he fully understood the impact this has had on them.

He left the country for fear of religious persecution and was allegedly not aware that an asylum claim was believed to have failed.

Judge John Thackray KC told Waleed: "All three victims were attacked and injured. Your victims must have been terrified. It must have been obvious to you, if not before the first incident, then inevitably after the second, that your dog could behave dangerously.

"You behaved with a reckless disregard for the safety of others. The incidents could so easily have led to a fatality. Only good fortune prevented that.

"Understandably, your actions have had a profound effect upon your victims. They may never fully recover from these attacks."

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