Woman jailed for ordering her Staffordshire Bull Terrier '˜to attack'

Vickilee Galloway ordered her pet Staffordshire Bull Terrier to attack. File picture

Vickilee Galloway set the Staffordshire Bull Terrier on Stacey Findlay after an argument by telling the animal: “Jake attack.”

The victim was left with bite marks on an arm and both ears and will be scarred for life because of the injury to her left ear.

The out of control terrier also turned on a pensioner following the attack on Ms Findlay and inflicted several wounds on Brian Pennie, 68, who was left with a large part of his left ear missing.

A judge rejected a plea to spare Galloway a jail sentence at the High Court in Edinburgh. Lord Kinclaven told her: “There is no alternative to a custodial sentence and it requires to be a significant custodial sentence.”

He told her he would have jailed her for three and a half years, but for her guilty pleas.

Lord Kinclaven said she had accepted responsibility for two serious offences and added: “Your voluntary intoxication may help to explain the events of that night, but it does not excuse.”

The judge also told Galloway that a vet would be appointed to destroy the dog and said he was not satisfied that the animal would not constitute a danger to public safety.

He told Galloway, who sat dabbing her eyes throughout the proceedings, that he would also ban her from owning a dog for life.

Lord Kinclaven said: “By your actions you have indicated you are not a fit and proper person to have custody of a dog.”

Galloway, 37, who has previous convictions for assault and police assault, earlier admitted attacking Ms Findlay to her severe injury and permanent disfigurement by inciting the terrier then under her control to assault her.

She also pled guilty to being the owner of a dog that was dangerously out of control which attacked and injured Mr Pennie and Ms Findlay.

Both the attacks occurred at Mr Pennie’s home in Leask Avenue, Peterhead, in Aberdeenshire on February 17 last year where Galloway and others had gathered to drink alcohol.

The court heard that Galloway, formerly of Willowbank Road, Peterhead, had brought Jake to the house where they were joined by the victim and another woman.

Advocate depute Gillian Ross said: “Stacey Findlay, who was aged 27 at the time, and the accused were unknown to each other.”

An row later broke out between Galloway and Ms Findlay. The prosecutor said: “The argument started because the accused was repeatedly telling the victim that her name was not in fact Stacey.”

The argument became more heated and both women were struggling with each other. “The accused then instructed her dog Jake to attack Ms Findlay. She used the words ‘get her, ‘Jake attack’ or something similar,” said Ms Ross.

There had been no issues with the dog up until then, but it immediately launched an attack on Ms Findlay.

“She was first bitten on the arm, which caused her to fall to the ground. The dog then started biting and attacking her left ear,” said the advocate depute.

Another woman managed to move the dog off the victim who fled from the scene.

Ms Ross said: “There was a lot of shouting and screaming and the dog remained in a heightened state. He leapt onto the couch and started attacking Mr Pennie. The dog was attacking Mr Pennie to the neck and ear.”

Galloway managed to pull the dog away from Mr Pennie and an ambulance was called. Paramedics arrived along with police and a dog warden.

The advocate depute said: “On arrival the dog warden noted the dog to be friendly and easy to handle.”

Ms Findlay was traced to her home and taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for treatment where her left ear was cleaned and sutured under a general anaesthetic.

Mr Pennie, who has since died, was also taken to hospital and found to have a deep 10 cm wound to his neck and extensive damage to his left ear where a large part of it was missing. He also had injuries to his forehead and left cheek. The neck and ear injuries were cleaned and closed with sutures.

Defence counsel Emma Toner said Galloway had been a responsible dog owner in the past. She said: “Her position is she had no expectation that the dog was capable of causing such injuries or would behave in that manner.”

“The dog was never trained by her to attack anyone,” she said. The defence counsel added that Galloway could not remember shouting at the dog or making any gesture towards Ms Findlay.

She said Galloway had perceived Ms Findlay was getting the better of her during the struggle and shouted on the dog to give her a fright.

Miss Toner argued that a non-custodial disposal was appropriate for Galloway who was considered suitable for a community payback order.