The owner of a cockapoo that mauled a three-year-old girl told police ‘he’s a bit nippy’ after denying her dog had bitten the youngster’s arm open.
Bunnie Skinley, three, was walking home with her father, Rowen, and two siblings when a dog launched a vicious assault on June 17.
Prosecuting, Christina Rowberry, told Medway Magistrates Court how the toddler ‘was attacked without warning’ by cockapoo, Reggie, in Rainham.
After grabbing her by her right arm, the pet dragged the little girl to the floor, biting her and leaving her with ‘seven or eight’ puncture wounds.
Mr Skinley held the skin on his young child’s arm together with his hands as nearby witnesses rushed over to help opposite a primary school in Kent, the court heard.
The little girl was rushed to a London hospital for emergency plastic surgery, and was discharged afterwards.
The court heard how the dog’s owner, Tracie Inkpen, 50, fled the scene without sharing her details following the attack which left ‘blood all over the pavement’.
When police went to Inkpen’s home after a tip-off she denied it was her pet that had caused the injury. She later admitted Reggie had caused the child harm and that her pet was a ‘bit nippy’.
Reggie was later seized by officers, and Inkpen was arrested and charged with being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control, causing injury.
The mother-of-two pleaded guilty to the offence and was handed a community order.
Bunnie was walking home with her father, Rowen Skinley, and two siblings on Tuesday when the designer crossbreed launched the attack
When police went to Tracie Inkpen’s (pictured) home after a tip-off she denied it was her pet that had caused the injury, before confessing Reggie had caused the child harm, adding her pet was a ‘bit nippy’
Christina Rowberry, prosecuting, told the court the cockapoo, who had anxiety and social issues, attacked the toddler opposite a primary school without warning.
‘The father of Bunnie was walking with her and his other children and a small dog lunged at his daughter and this caused a serious wound,’ she added.
‘As they walked past on the narrow pavement, the dog grabbed her right forearm and dragged her to the ground aggressively and bit her on the arm, there was blood all over the pavement.
‘The defendant then pulled the dog off with the lead, but this scraped her arm and made the injury worse. She had seven or eight teeth puncture wounds.
‘Her dad shouted, and she [Inkpen] made no attempt to help and then made off without giving her details.’
When a police officer entered Inkpen’s home in Rainham in June, he noticed there were metal barriers on the doors inside.
Inkpen said they were there because the dog ‘[could] be a bit nippy’.
‘She was asked if it was her dog that had attacked the child, and she denied it,’ Ms Rowberry added.
‘She was then shown the picture and her daughter had been ID’d in it, and she then finally admitted it was her and that she should have come forward.’
In an interview, Inkpen confessed she had previously taken her dog to the vet for an assessment regarding his behaviour.
She told police she thought she had the dog under control on a short lead and that she panicked at the scene because everything happened so quickly.
‘She said she got her daughter to take the dog away and went back and there was blood coming out of the girl’s arm,’ the prosecutor added.
Inkpen also claimed to officers that she then offered to drive injured Bunnie to the hospital, however, Mr Skinley did not mention this in the statement he gave police.
Bunnie was rushed to a London hospital for emergency plastic surgery following the incident but was later discharged
‘She [Inkpen] then walked up the road and thought that would be the end of it – she never left her details,’ Ms Rowberry said.
Reggie, who was bought by Inkpen during the pandemic, would often bark and sometimes jump up at people, the court was told.
However, his owner maintained the attack had come out of the blue despite confessing the pet could be a bit nippy.
Natalie Lucas, defending, said her client was a mother herself and felt remorse after the incident, noting that Inkpen had pleaded gulity at the earliest opportunity.
‘She panicked, this was a freak accident, it was not to avoid responsibility or cause distress to the victim or her father,’ Ms Lucas told the court.
‘She thought she had control [of the dog] and pulled it off; she thought she was helping. It was highly stressful and she made the decision to leave to so as not to inflame the situation further.’
Ms Lucas said the cancer carer was a responsible dog owner and she fully accepted her dog had caused serious injury to the toddler.
‘She never saw the social media appeal as she’s not on social media, and yes, she did deny it, but she’s of previous good character,’ she added.
‘It was a panic response and when she saw the video footage, she admitted being there and being the owner of Reggie. She deeply regrets the incident.
‘Reggie is a family pet and he is much loved.’
While being in kennels, an assessment had found Reggie had shown some aggression previously but no longer did presently, the court heard.
He was happier and easier to handle, had now been muzzle trained and was deemed not to be dangerous but rather nervous.
Magistrates handed Inkpen on a high-level community order, which involves 160 hours of unpaid work.
They also made a contingent destruction order on Reggie, which means he will be allowed to return to his home, but the order will see him muzzled at all times on a short lead, and he must be walked by someone over the age of 18 at all times.
Inkpen was also ordered to pay £1,500 compensation to Bunnie and £1,988 kennel costs as well as a victim surcharge of £114 and £85 court costs.
She will pay what she owes the court at a rate of £200 a month.
