Dog's death sentence splits family

A court order to destroy nine-year-old mongrel Diesel has left Gloria Hawkins, of Adam Close, and her daughter Samantha Tate not speaking to each other.

The family breakdown followed Diesel's attack on Miss Tate's three-year-old son last October. It left Miss Tate, who lives in Eastbourne, accusing her mum of putting loyalty to her dog before her grandson because she refused to have Diesel put down.

Mrs Hawkins, 51, strenuously denied this, saying the attack was a one-off and that her dog did not pose a danger. But her view was not held by Lewes Crown Court, where a judge ordered the dog be destroyed.

The court heard how Jordan Banks was shaken "like a ragdoll" by the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Labrador cross while visiting his grandmother's St Leonards home.

Miss Tate said: "I saw Diesel shooting under the table and within seconds I heard an almighty scream. I bent underneath the table and the dog was coming towards me with Jordan in his mouth.

"It had him by the side of his head but was shaking viciously as if he was a rag doll in the dog's mouth."

Jordan was taken to hospital where he had stitches and his ear flushed to prevent infection.

Asked by John Marsden-Lynch, for Mrs Hawkins, whether their relationship had broken down irrecoverably over the attack, she said: "Yes. I still love my mum but at the end of the day the safety of my children comes first and I don't want it happening to any of my nieces and nephews."

Terry Ballard, acting for Miss Tate said: "There is every reason to believe her loyalty for that dog outweighs her loyalty to her grandson. While that dog remains alive it remains a danger to anyone."

But Mrs Hawkins, who has 11 children and 17 grandchildren, denied Diesel was a dangerous dog and said he regularly spent time with other grandchildren without problems.

She said on the day of the attack Diesel had been frightened by the group of children playing boisterously in the living room.

She said: "I am not a bad grandmother, I have my grandchildren every day.

"If I felt in my heart that he deliberately and maliciously bit Jordan I would have had him destroyed but he didn't. He was provoked with all the hullabaloo that was going on in the room. He was frightened.

"He's old, and he likes to just lie around."

Miss Tate had first taken her mother to court on June 16 when Hastings Magistrates ordered Diesel to be destroyed after deciding it was a dangerous dog.

Mrs Hawkins appealed to Lewes Crown Court but Judge David Rennie upheld the order, saying he had no choice but to deem Diesel a dangerous dog because of the unpredictable nature of the attack.

He said: "We have all felt a certain measure of sympathy for the various members of this family whose lives have been touched by the tragic events of October 12 last year. With a heavy heart I have concluded the justices in the lower court were right and there must be a destruction order. Therefore the appeal is dismissed."

After the case Mrs Hawkins vehemently denied putting her dog before her grandchildren and said the attack was a one-off incident. "He is not dangerous. He is a lovely companion, he sleeps in my bed and follows me everywhere.

"I love my dog to bits but I also love my grandchildren. My grandchildren are not at risk. I have put a gate at the top of the stairs and he can be shut up there when they are here."

Mrs Hawkins spoke of her sorrow at knowing her beloved dog has to die and said she is cherishing every minute with Diesel.

"It is breaking my heart to know he has got to go," she said. "It is awful to have to arrange it but I will do it at home, in his own surroundings, and his ashes will be buried in the garden.

"I am hardly going out now because I want to sit with him all day. The court did not give me an exact deadline and I am going to stay with him 24/7 until the end and whatever he wants he gets.

"Samantha has put me through hell this last year and it has taken its toll.

"She has hurt me a lot. I do love her but what she is doing is making my life an absolute misery."

Miss Tate said: "At the end of the day the last thing I wanted to do was take my mum to court.

"I thought that knowing what Diesel did and being a good person my mum would have seen that the right thing to do was have the dog destroyed.

"Having Diesel put down is the right thing to do. I know I'm taking something's life but it could have been my son's. I hope mum does not hold this against me."