Baby mauled by vicious Cane Corso after teacher owner crossed road to avoid cat on walk
Magistrates warned the dog owner that she must keep Hugo muzzled
DOG HORROR Baby mauled by vicious Cane Corso after teacher owner crossed road to avoid cat on walk
A BABY was brutally mauled by a massive Cane Corso after a dog-walking teacher crossed the road to avoid a cat.
Lucy Bamber was walking her two dogs on leads, including her Cane Corso Hugo, in North Staffordshire on March 2 when the horror attack unfolded.
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Cane Corsos are commonly used as hunting dogs or guard dogs. Stock image
Credit: Getty
The "remorseful" 26-year-old teacher told a court that Hugo "has never acted in this manner before".
She was walking Hugo, a two-year-old, and a nine-year-old Staffordshire Bull in Longton when she saw a cat and crossed the road to avoid it.
But they passed the driveway of a home where a baby was outside, and Hugo mauled the child.
The baby was left with several puncture wounds to the back and right arm, which are expected to leave permanent scars.
The court heard that Cane Corso Hugo "always" wears a muzzle in public and is on a short lead.
He also wears a hi-vis jacket which says "I need space" on it.
April Lamai, mitigating, told North Staffordshire Justice Centre that Bamber is "willing to do everything in her power to prevent this from ever happening again".
Fury over legal loophole that makes 'killing machine' dog breed MORE dangerous as owners 'plug gap' in XL Bully market
By Milad Sherzad
EXPERTS have raised concerns over a loophole that allows dog breeders to swerve UK animal welfare laws when importing potentially dangerous Italian mastiffs.
Also known as Cane Corsos, the breed is rapidly emerging as the breed of choice for criminals as a replacement for the XL Bully breed it was banned last year.
But they are not alone as celebrity owners including soccer star Marcus Rashford and Love Island's Jack Ficham also have Cane Corsos - with many celebs now buying them to guard properties.
Cane Corso puppies can sell for thousands of pounds but are sometimes imported from breeders overseas with their ears clipped and tails docked.
The procedures are illegal in the UK and canine behaviour experts believe that importing the dogs can be used to circumvent the ban on such surgical procedures in the UK.
The concerns were expressed just days after a Sun Online investigation found hundreds of Cane Corso dogs on sale in the UK.
The Stoke Sentinel reported that Bamber pleaded guilty to being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control and being the owner of a dog which was dangerous and not kept under proper control.
Ms Lamai told the court: "She only noticed the child after Hugo bit the victim. She immediately pulled the dog away. She was shocked by Hugo's behaviour.
"When Hugo is in public he always has a muzzle. He has a short lead.
"He wears a hi-vis jacket which says, "I need space", on it. He is undergoing extra obedience and recall training.
"She no longer walks Hugo on that road."
Bamber was fined £487 and ordered to pay £300 compensation to the mother of the child, £85 costs, and a £197 surcharge.
The magistrates said they were satisfied Hugo is not a danger to the public because of his previous behaviour and it being an isolated incident.
The magistrates told Bamber: "You are a fit and proper person to own this particular type of dog.
"You must keep Hugo under proper control. We impose the following conditions. When outside he must have a fixed lead and a muzzle.
"These will last for the whole of Hugo's life. If you do not comply, Hugo may be destroyed."
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