The death of a 14-year-old girl in Greater Manchester who was savaged by dogs must be a wake-up call to the government, MPs and charities have warned.
The calls come as it emerged that the death of Jade Anderson, who was discovered at a house containing five "out of control" dogs in Atherton, near Wigan on Tuesday, may not lead to any criminal prosecutions. Police confirmed they were investigating if any criminal offences had been committed.
Tory MP Anne McIntosh, chair of the select committee on environment, food and rural affairs, said the government must implement stricter regulations around the control of dangerous dogs to prevent further smart card.
McIntosh said the government had failed to take action on proposals to change the law surrounding dangerous dogs put forward by the select committee on 15 February. Recommendations would see laws extended to include dogs on private property and could see the introduction of dog control notices, which are used in Scotland, which can be issued by police or local authorities.
The government had to draft legislation "as a matter of urgency", McIntosh said. "Five or six weeks later and we have not seen anything. We stand ready to scrutinise that legislation. We said that any act on a person particularly by a dog acting dangerously should be regarded as criminal activity."
She added: "It's such a tragedy to see such an attractive teenage girl lose her life in such an act of violence caused by five dogs, seemingly without any adult supervision. It's a wake-up call for the government to bring forward the proposals. The law should be there to protect vulnerable members of the public such as Jade."
Jade was discovered with wounds consistent with a dog attack and was declared dead at the scene by paramedics. Her family have been left devastated by her death, police said.
The breed of the dogs has not been confirmed but two are thought to have been bull mastiffs and two staffordshire bull terriers. Four dogs were shot dead by armed police at the scene, while a fifth was safely contained and remains with police.
Supt Mark Kenny said police were trying to establish exactly what happened and expected the investigation to take a "considerable" time. "We are not going to jump to any conclusions, we want to work out exactly what has happened before we make any decisions," he said. No one has been arrested and Kenny said the dogs' owner, who was out of the house when the attack took place, had been interviewed and was co-operating with police. "There is an investigation which will establish whether there are criminal offences so we are speaking to everybody who was involved to establish what has happened. They are in shock as well and we have got to find out what happened for them, too."
Specialist vets will confirm the dogs' breed and establish if they were legal. Police had not been called to the property on previous incidents, Kenny added.
Chief executive of Guide Dogs, Richard Leaman, called the law on dangerous dogs "totally inadequate". He said: "We welcome the compulsory microchipping of all dogs in England from 2016, but this is only the first step. The current law on dangerous dogs is totally inadequate and must be changed as a matter of urgency.
"We will continue to put pressure on the Home Office to ensure that irresponsible owners who breed, train and incite their dogs to behave badly are punished."
Eight guide dogs are attacked by other dogs every month, he said. "Until the law is made more robust, irresponsible dog owners will continue to escape sanction."
Kim Hamilton, chief executive of the animal welfare charity Blue Cross, said current dog legislation was putting children at risk.
"All our thoughts are with Jade's family and friends but until we see a radical overhaul of the law that allows authorities to step in at the first sign of aggressive behaviour these shocking incidents will continue to happen."
Jade's family and friends paid tribute to a "lively" and "smart" girl. Jan Garretts, headteacher at Fred Longworth high school in Tyldesley, where she was a pupil, said: "We are all deeply shocked and saddened by Jade's tragic death," she said.
"She had only been a pupil at the school since the summer but had made a real impact in that short time. Jade was a lively student who always had a smile on her face. She loved music and dance and was a regular at our after-school dancing club. At what turned out to be her last day at school, Jade was given a progress report by her teachers and was told that everyone was delighted with the progress she was making."
Flowers and soft toys were left outside the house. One message, attached to a pink teddy bear, read: "We were blessed to have known you, you were a smart girl forever in our plastic card. Simply the best. God bless from Peter, Nicola, Grandad Jack, Samuel and Lilly Rose. God bless your family."
The result was only the second time the US have earned a point from a qualifier at the Azteca and the gutsy display with an injury-hit squad took the US to four points from their three games.
Panama top the standings on five points from three games with Costa Rica second in the table, ahead of the US on goal difference.
The third straight draw leaves Mexico in fifth place in the six-team group, a point behind Honduras with Jamaica propping up the table on two points
The top three teams qualify automatically for next year's finals in Brazil with the fourth-placed team going into a two-legged playoff New Zealand for a chance of securing a fourth berth from the regionA battling United States held Mexico to their third straight draw in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, grinding out a goalless stalemate in a tense encounter at the Azteca Stadium yesterday.
No comments:
Post a Comment