A mother-of-two was violently attacked by an XL Bully dog, being shaken 'like a rag doll', before a heroic army veteran intervened to save her in a dramatic street rescue.
Military Training Meets Moment of Crisis
The terrifying incident occurred in Wrexham, north Wales, in August last year, when Yasmin Begum was out with her two young children. The attack unfolded at approximately 2:36pm after the dog's owner, Tomasz Wegner, 45, began hurling abuse at Mrs Begum when she moved away from his animal out of fear.
Mrs Begum attempted to escape with her children into a doorway, but the powerful XL Bully launched its assault, biting her in the head and dragging her along the ground. The force of the attack was so severe that it ripped off her hijab headscarf, leaving visible teeth marks on her forehead.
A Veteran's Instinct Takes Over
Martin Griffiths, 41, an army veteran with service in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, and Bosnia, witnessed the unfolding horror and immediately rushed to help. "I saw a woman being attacked by a dog, it was dragging her along the ground," Mr Griffiths recalled. "I just ran over and saw the muzzle was in the guy's hand and I snatched it from him."
Drawing on his military experience, Mr Griffiths explained: "I think having served in the military, I've been in dangerous situations so it's something that's familiar to me. The dog was dragging her like a ragdoll and 100 per cent she was about to sustain very serious injury. I'm just glad I was there in time."
He managed to temporarily re-attach the muzzle, but when it came off again - likely because it was the wrong size - he expertly tied it around the dog's neck to bring the animal under control. He restrained the XL Bully until police arrived at the scene.
Legal Reckoning and Lasting Trauma
At Mold Crown Court, the court heard that witnesses believed Wegner appeared to be drunk during the incident and even fell on top of the victim. Mrs Begum stated in court that Wegner's abuse was "without any provocation" and he had "indirectly caused me to be set on by his dog through his actions".
She described the profound impact on her family, noting that her son and daughter witnessed both the dog attack and the owner's "misbehaviour" and were left "extremely frightened". She added, "I am highly concerned about my personal safety as well as for the safety of the children".
Wegner initially denied to police that the dog was an XL Bully, claiming it was a "friendly" animal that merely wanted to "greet" the woman. He also denied being drunk. However, he eventually pleaded guilty to possessing a fighting dog and to being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control.
His defence, Joshua Gors, argued this was an "unpleasant incident" and that the dog had never attacked anyone before, with Wegner initially believing it to be a "Cane Corso" breed.
Judge His Honour Simon Mills handed Wegner a 15-month jail term suspended for two years. He was disqualified from keeping a dog for two years and the court ordered the destruction of the animal, noting it could not be returned to him under law.
