A man has suffered a most horrible fate in his home after his own pet dog turned against him in a ferocious attack.
Stephen Hodgson was killed by his dog
Stephen Hodgson, a father-of-three has been killed.
The man was mauled to death by his pet dog in a “ferocious” unprovoked attack in his bedroom.
According to The Sun UK, Stephen, 45, a former carpet fitter had
passed out through drink at his home in Cleater Moor, Cumbria, when
family pet Buster barged into a bedroom and bit down on his neck.
His two daughters desperately tried to pull the Staffordshire bull
terrier-pitbull cross away from an unconscious Mr Hodgson but it refused
to let go and went on to savage his neck, head and face.
Following the 10-minute attack, Buster suddenly stopped and Carla
Hodgson, 17, and her sister, Jade, 19, managed to grab him by his hind
legs and secure him in another bedroom at the house.
The teenagers placed sheets over their father’s head in an attempt
to stem the catastrophic blood loss but he was later pronounced dead at
the scene on May 22 this year after emergency services arrived.
Stephen’s daughters Carla (left) and Jade (right) pictured with brother Frazer
Three other dogs in the house, another Staffordshire-pitbull cross
and two older Staffordshire bull terriers, were taken out of the address
but Buster continued to be aggressive and barked continuously from
behind the bedroom door.
More than two hours after Mr Hodgson’s death, police deployed a
Taser at the dog – not a banned breed – which fell to the floor and
later died, the court heard.
Cockermouth Coroner’s Court was told that “binge-drinker” Mr Hodgson had consumed alcohol heavily throughout the weekend.
The Sun UK reports that he fell off the bed of his son, Frazer, 19,
while his daughters watched TV, and became wedged between the bed and
door.
In a statement read to the court, Carla said she and Jade shouted at their father to get up but they could not move him.
Buster was said to have leaned over him and sniffed at Mr Hodgson before being taken outside into the garden.
The sisters eventually managed to lift their father on to the bed.
The dog was then let back into the house and “barged” into the bedroom, where he jumped on to the bed and stood over a still unconscious Mr Hodgson.
Carla said Buster then nudged her father’s head with his nose before biting down on the back of his neck.
The girls were unable to tear the dog away from their father and
the animal dragged him to the floor and continued mauling him, the court
was told.
The pitbull that killed Stephen
Robert Chapman, Assistant HM Coroner for Cumbria, asked the younger sister: “There was nothing your dad did to aggravate your dog?”
She replied: “No.”
Her sister, Jade, confirmed that was the case and added it was “just a normal day”.
The family said Buster was normally “good-natured” but the
court heard that he had twice previously bitten Mr Hodgson, who needed
hospital treatment last November for injuries to his forearm.
In May’s attack, Mr Hodgson’s right carotid artery and jugular vein were severed.
Mr Chapman said: “This was clearly quite a ferocious attack. His head, neck and face were quite badly mauled by the dog.
“There is no indication of what caused the dog to do this.
Clearly it must have been upset by something but we do not have any idea
what.”
In a narrative conclusion, the assistant coroner said Mr Hodgson
had died from injuries sustained when his neck, face and head were
bitten by a dog.
Mr Hodgson’s children and their mother, Theresa O’Neill, Mr Hodgson’s ex-partner, left the hearing without comment.
No comments:
Post a Comment