Girl, 5, savaged in dog attack
Ambulance and police where called to the Prince of Wales pub at Ham Hill just after 3.30pm on Sunday. The girl's injuries were described as a two-inch gash to her forehead and a bite to her lip. Police said they would not be taking any further action after learning the long-haired old English sheepdog had been put down by its owners. A police spokesman said: "It appears that the dog was sitting in the pub garden with its owner when the girl approached the dog to pet it. The dog was on a lead." A spokesman for South Western Ambulance Trust said the victim was taken to Yeovil District Hospital and later transferred to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol. The pub is at Ham Hill Country Park, near Stoke-sub-Hamdon, a popular area for dog walkers. At the time the pub was hosting a fundraising event in aid of the Piers Simon disaster relief charity. Henry Simon, who was promoting the event, said: "I didn't see what happened. All I heard was a bark. People were treating the girl with an ice pack and an ambulance arrived quickly. "The music stopped for a while because of the commotion but we were able to continue with the event later. It was a very unfortunate incident, nobody would wish for it to happen." A woman who was in the pub at the time with her husband and son said the incident was horrific. "It was absolutely terrible. I didn't see it happen but I saw the aftermath. It was like the dog had ripped her forehead off, you could see the bone. The girl kept saying, Oh my God, oh my God. She couldn't have been any older than six," she said. The woman, who did not want to be named, said they often went to the pub with their own dog and had done so on Sunday afternoon to listen to live bands. She said: "At the time the girl was being mauled I was in the toilet. As I came out I could hear her screaming. It was a very serious injury. The girl's father was in shock and he collapsed in front of us so we tried to help him." Landlord Mike Holroyd, who was on holiday at the time of the incident, praised his staff for their quick actions to help the girl while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. He said: "We're in absolute dog walking paradise up here and we do have a lot of dogs coming in. But in all my time here there's never been anything like before. The staff were pretty shocked, it wasn't just a nip, apparently it was quite a deep bite. "My kitchen manager has spoken to the family since to see how the girl is doing. The last time he called on Tuesday she was still in hospital. "I understand the dog's owner was upset too, especially as she apparently has small children herself. All of us here hope the little girl gets better soon." |
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