Anger as owner of dangerous dog that injured grandad in Askam avoids jail

Edmund Turner was rushed to hospital after he and his dog Saffy were injured in an attack by an out-of-control lurcher.

Yesterday the dog's owner Edward Charles Hall, 26, was sentenced at Preston Crown Court to 21 weeks in prison suspended for a year.

And Hall was told his dog would not be destroyed if he was not able to comply with certain conditions.

But the judgement has angered the family of Mr Turner, who was 82 when the attack happened in Askam on July 23 last year.

His family previously said Mr Turner had been left 'having flashbacks' to the incident, which saw him sustain injuries to thumb and arm having been bitten and dragged for around two metres by the defendant's dog.

The grandad was walking his beloved border collie down Wakefield Street when he spotted two lurchers ‘fiercely barking’ from across the road.

One of the dogs broke free from their collar chain and headed for Saffy before Mr Turner intervened.

The dog was then said to have pulled him and his dog into the road.

Sustaining a puncture to the chest, Saffy was taken for emergency surgery.

Mr Turner's daughter Sarah slammed the sentence handed down as an 'absolute joke'.

She said: "Saffy has recently passed away too and I personally think the sentence is disgusting for all the hurt, pain and suffering both my father and Saffy have been through and for him still to be able to keep dogs is unbelievable.

"He obviously can't control or handle them properly and I wonder how badly an adult or child needs to be hurt or god forbid worse before an appropriate sentence is passed."

As well as the suspended sentence, Hall, of Broughton Road in Dalton, was ordered to carry out 50 hours of unpaid work.

He was also told to pay nearly £260 for the costs of veterinary bills and £600 in prosecution costs.

Under a contingent destruction order, Hall's dog will not be destroyed unless the owner complies with a series of conditions.