A public-spirited volunteer distributing food to needy families was left screaming and fearing he was going to die as he was set upon by two dogs found in 'appalling' conditions. The victim was working for a charity delivering food parcels to families in the West End of Newcastle when he was repeatedly bitten.
Newcastle Crown Court heard it was on the afternoon of August 19, 2023, that he attended a property where Kieran Morris lived with his mother and his four dogs. The man, who had delivered food there before, noticed two dogs in the front yard and he stroked them to gauge if they were friendly. Both of them licked his hand and appeared friendly so he entered the yard and closed the gate.
Initially, the dogs appeared friendly and playful but as he made his way towards the property, they blocked his path. Daisy Wrigley, prosecuting, said: 'Their demeanour changed and they became aggressive. They began biting him, starting with his wrists. He tried to push them away but they kept approaching him. They continued to bite him, causing him to scream for help. They both pinned him against a gate and he realised he was bleeding. He tried to kick them away but they continued approaching him.'
Eventually, he managed to open the gate and flee, later realising he had lost his smart watch during the incident. He attended the RVI and was found to have multiple wounds to his right wrist, right upper arm, left shoulder, left forearm, left leg and left abdomen. The wounds were debrided and cleaned and he was given antibiotics.
He said in a victim impact statement he had regularly delivered food packages but felt unable to return to doing so because of what happened. He added: 'During the incident I genuinely believed I could be killed or have lifelong injuries. Being attacked by two dogs left me feeling helpless. I believe if I had been taken to the ground I would not have survived. I required hospital treatment and stitches and my recovery took several months. I've been left with permanent scarring, in particular on my shoulder and wrists. What was especially distressing was the owner did nothing to stop the attack. They only came outside to get their food parcel and the dogs after I had escaped.'
When police attended, they were repulsed at the conditions they found, with an overpowering stench of rotting food and dog faeces and urine. Mattresses and a sofa had been heavily chewed by the dogs. The court heard three dogs were seized but it was not possible to say which two of them carried out the attack. Their breed was not revealed during the hearing. It has cost the public £20,000 to house them while the case has been going through the courts.
Morris, 21, of Beach Grove Road, Elswick, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury. He was sentenced to six months suspended for 18 months with 200 hours unpaid work. A deprivation order was made in respect of the three dogs and he was banned from keeping dogs for seven years.
Judge Sarah Mallett said the conditions police saw were 'appalling' and added: 'Neither dogs nor people, frankly, should be living in those conditions.' Lucy Todd, defending, said: 'They were trusted family dogs and had shown no indication of aggression towards humans before and had been around children.' She added that Morris has arranged for the dogs to go into the care of his dad. Miss Todd said: 'He does care greatly for those dogs. This is a young gentleman who has learned from his mistake. He is deeply regretful and remorseful for allowing the dogs to be in such a condition and he extends his deepest sympathy for the victim in this case.' The court heard he cares for his mother, who has mental health issues.
