Owners of a dog that bit a two-year-old boy in 2020, causing serious injury were sentenced yesterday in the Auckland District Court to community detention by Judge June Jelas.
Paerau Takimoana and Shannon Devlyn initially pleaded not guilty to the charges under S58 of the Dog Control Act and elected trial by jury, but later pleaded guilty to the offences in February 2024.
On August 15, Mr Takimoana was convicted and sentenced to five months and three weeks community detention, extended by one week due to remission of fines, while Ms Devlyn was convicted and sentenced to four months community detention.
Both defendants were “genuinely remorseful” and apologetic, according to the Crown Prosecutor.
Background information
The couple had brought their American bulldog X Korowai, to an emergency housing facility during the COVID lockdown in 2020.
The dog was left unsupervised and unrestrained in the facility carpark where children were playing, including the two-year-old victim.
The boy sat on the dog who reacted by biting him on the head and face. The resulting injuries included a 10cm laceration over the boy’s forehead and a 2cm laceration below his right eyebrow, with frontal bone exposed.
The boy was rushed to hospital where he underwent plastic surgery to repair his face, and he was eventually discharged three days later.
Caution for Dog Owners
Auckland Council’s Animal Management Manager Elly Waitoa says the outcome is a satisfactory one but serves as a reminder to dog owners of their responsibilities.
“Dog safety around children is paramount. Owners need to understand young children are vulnerable in their presence, regardless of whether it is a family pet or an unknown dog,” says Ms Waitoa.
“It is an owner’s responsibility to make sure their dog is always under control as too many children are being bitten by dogs. Already we’ve had reports of around 30 dog attacks on children this year and that only the tip of the iceberg.”
Auckland Council’s Any dog can bite campaign has been running this year to remind dog owners and families of their responsibilities and educating children and adults on how to safely interact with dogs.
A destruction order was made in the Auckland District Court in relation to the attacking dog, and Animal Management are currently talking with the owner to assist with this process.
This story, which ran on 1News earlier this year, refers to the case mentioned above.
