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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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".
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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The Sun
30 minutes ago
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My brother disappeared without a trace when I was 9… cruel schoolkids joked about finding body & I'm racked with guilt
SOPHIE Bryant has grown up with the tragedy of her missing brother hanging over her. She was just nine when Allan jr, 23, disappeared without a trace on a night out in 2013 - but she didn't quite understand then what was going on. 14 14 14 14 The now 20-year-old recalls her mum and dad, Marie and Allan sr, regularly speaking to the police and press, and growing more frantic for answers that have never come. Sophie, from Glenrothes, Fife, said a couple of years ago human remains were found and the family gloomily hoped they belonged to Allan jr. 'It feels bad saying we wish it was him, but if it was him maybe we'd have got a bit of closure,' she told The Sun. 'We think he's definitely… not alive,' she explained with a pause when asked if she still holds out hope. 'It's a good thought to think - that he's alive somewhere - but we know something bad has happened, or he would have been home by now.' Allan jr was picked up on CCTV leaving the town's Styx nightclub at around 2am on November 3 2013. The family has passed thousands of tip-offs over the years to Police Scotland, but ultimately without any luck. There is no video evidence yet released to indicate where exactly the young man went or what became of him. For Sophie, the night Allan jr disappeared started like any other Saturday booze-up for her brother. Him and his pals were pre-drinking at the Bryant home and then headed out for what was the Halloween weekend. They first went to an engagement party at Leslie Golf Club on the outskirts of town, and then to the nightclub. 'I can remember the weekend he didn't come back home,' said Sophie. 'I was just wondering where he went. I can't remember what the last thing was that I said to him. 'You never expect something like that to happen, so you don't necessarily recall that stuff. 'I just always think about what happened.' She went on to say: 'My parents did shield me from it a bit, they kept me out of the public eye when they were originally appealing for information.' Sophie can remember her mum and dad 'always' being on the phone to the police and would sometimes join them on searches as a child. Getting closer to finding out what happened to Allan jr often dominates home life. 14 14 14 'It's pretty much day to day, they're always talking about what they should do to keep him in the public eye,' Sophie said. 'They (her parents) try to live their lives as well, but I think sometimes we feel guilty about doing that.' She said such a feeling is contradictory because of how happy-go-lucky her brother was. 'He wouldn't want us not to be happy,' she admitted. A photo of Sophie aged just nine shows her holding up a missing person poster brandishing her brother's face. To her, Allan jr was her older sibling who teased her and who she play fought with her, but who always looked out for her. 'My memories of him are just really when we were playfighting and carrying on,' she said. 'He was my brother.' Family members have also told her that she shares mannerisms with Allan jr that no-one else does. 'I like that,' she said. A photo taken of the pair of them together on the family's porch is also something Sophie cherishes, but it's bittersweet. 'There's one that I quite like,' she said when asked if she had any photos of her and Alan jr. 'I was really quite young, so I don't remember it being taken, but it's a nice one. I know who 'murdered' my son, 23, on night out a decade ago... cops say he's missing but they need to probe vital clue By Ryan Merrifield A DESPERATE dad says he knows who 'murdered' his son, after he went missing over 12 years ago. Allan Bryant Jr disappeared while on a night out on November 3 2013, but he's never been found and no one ever brought to justice. The then-23-year-old was spotted on CCTV leaving Styx nightclub in Glenrothes, Fife, in Scotland, around 2am - but what happened next remains a mystery. Mr Bryant said he and his family have accepted his son is dead but he, Allan's mum Marie and sisters Amy and Sophie want closure. He told The Sun he's passed thousands of tip-offs over the years to Police Scotland, but ultimately without any luck. Mr Bryant said he 'begged' the force to release a clip of the CCTV video footage, which they finally did months after the disappearance. The determined dad is adamant he knows who killed his boy and hopes it is just a matter of time before someone comes forward with information that could lead to a conviction. He said: 'A lot of people have come forward and it all points in the same direction about what happened to Allan.' In 2015, the family was passed information to police which suggested Allan had gone to a house party after leaving the club. Two years later, cops searched a house in Glenrothes for 33 days as part of the investigation but nothing came of it. Mr Bryant later voiced fears that his son had been in contact with a crime gang weeks before he vanished. He told The Sun this week: 'We believe he went to a houseparty, something happened at a houseparty.' He said on studying the CCTV from the nightclub, it's clear Allan heads in a different direction than if he were going home. Mr Bryant believes those who may have witnessed what happened to his son remain too scared to speak to detectives. 'I believe that without a doubt. We just need that one bit of the jigsaw… everything stems from there,' he said. Mr Bryant and his family moved out of the home they'd lived in with Allan in 2018, but still regularly use the same local shops and haunts. He feels the mystery over his son's death has created a dark cloud over the town, with people avoiding him and even 'stare at Allan's mum' without speaking. 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He asked me for some money to go to an engagement party. He was in a really really happy mood.' Mr Bryant said he later spoke to a barman working at the golf club who said he had refused to sell Allan another alcoholic drink as he seemed too intoxicated. He said Allan had instead politely asked for a pint of water. Mr Bryant said his son's bedroom was left as it was for a while but eventually it was cleaned. 'It wasn't in the best state,' he joked, as Allan and his pals had left empty beer cans. 'It took a wee while.' One of Allan's sisters took a piece of the wallpaper from the bedroom when the family eventually moved out, and they kept some of his things, including his beloved Celtic top. Mr Bryant said he feels that police have been difficult ever since Allan vanished. 'They will only give me so much information because I don't think they trust me,' he said. He claims sniffer dogs have never been used and the family even had to hire professionals themselves to scour an area for Allan's remains after a tip off. Mr Bryant continued: 'I had to fight to get the CCTV released. Any other missing person case that would be released straight away. 'I was told it was data protection. I think it would be different if Allan was a woman. If he was a 23-year-old woman in a nightclub it would be released straight away. 'He was just a guy on a night out.' Mr Bryant added: 'I don't know if we'll ever find the truth but you've always got to hope, hold onto that bit of hope. 'I just need to keep Allan's photo out there so people don't forget about him.' A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Allan Bryant remains a missing person and officers continue to make enquiries to trace him. "Any new information will be assessed and anyone who can assist should call Police Scotland on 101.' 'It is difficult to look back at it though.' 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