Predatory dog stalked girl, 9, before Walsall driveway attack
It grabbed a nine-year-old girl's head in its jaws in a terrifying attack on the driveway of her grandparents' home.
The 'predatory' beast, a Japanese Akita named Diesel – described as one of the most dangerous dogs ever seized by West Midlands Police – then viciously shook schoolgirl Amy Hryhoruk before being wrestled from her by her horrified father Simon.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard the dog had escaped the home of pensioner Nirmal Singh before crossing the road and 'stalking' Amy, who was waving goodbye to her grandmother on the driveway in Lichfield Road, Rushall.
A decision has now been made that the animal will be destroyed.
Today, Amy's family welcomed the decision to destroy Diesel, who, the court heard, was so brutal that staff at the kennel where he has been impounded for the past 18 months have been unable to carry out any examinations.
As a result of the attack, Rushall JMI pupil Amy suffered bite marks to the back of her head and required stitches. Mr Hryhoruk, who continued to grapple with the snarling Akita, was severely bitten on his hands and leg. He was taken to hospital and required two operations.
Pc Keith Evans, of West Midlands Police dangerous dog unit, said the Akita posed a threat to human lives.
"The chances of him engaging in such a horrendous attack again are just massive.
"Hundreds or thousands of dogs I have dealt with, and Diesel is one of, if not, the most dangerous I have come across. I can think of one dog to put on a par with him. If this dog comes across that little girl again, in my opinion, he will kill her."
Mr Zaher Afzar, prosecuting, said: "She was attacked from behind, her head was in his jaws and held there like as if it was in a vice."
Judge Michael Walsh ordered that the dog be destroyed after hearing that it displayed 'predatory' behaviour.
"I have absolutely no hesitation in coming to the conclusion that Diesel is a dangerous dog and that he poses a significant danger to the public in the event of him not being subject to a destruction order," he said.
The attack took place on Saturday, May 5, 2012. Singh, of Lichfield Road, Rushall, pleaded guilty to being responsible for the dog, which belongs to his son Amrit Pal, at the time of the attack, and for letting it escape. The 60-year-old was fined £750 for the offence and has to pay prosecution costs of £1,200 and kennelling costs of £7,653.81.
Mr Hryhoruk today said he was 'relieved' the dog would be put down.
"The ordeal was absolutely horrendous," he said. "I thought he was going to kill Amy so just jumped on him to pull him off. For the last 18 months we have feared that there was the possibility that the dog would be allowed back which scared us all so it is a relief."
He described the attack as like watching a tiger stalking his prey. "I literally had just got back to the house when I saw the dog slowly approach Amy, before sprinting and jumping on her," he said.
"It knocked her over flat and started mauling her. Luckily she had turned away. It was just like how you see a tiger hunting its prey on a David Attenborough programme."
As Simon wrestled with the wolf-like dog on his father's driveway, he slowly dragged it back across the normally busy Lichfield Road in Rushall to its owner's large detached house where it started a second frenzy – savaging his shin.
With the help of another neighbour, the dog, called 'Diesel', was caught, bringing an end to the terror. "It was just a natural instinct," he added.
Amazingly, Amy suffered no facial injuries but her father has been left with scarring on his arms and legs. Japanese Akitas, which can weigh up to nine stone, are not classified as dangerous under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
Diesel will now be destroyed and the Hryhoruk family are now campaigning for a change in the law. They want to see dog owners be liable for their pets' actions – not whoever happens to be in the house at the time.
Simon's father, Peter Hryhoruk, a retired Army Colonel from the Royal Corps of Signals, leads the campaign. He said: "While we welcome this conviction and the punishment given, we do feel sympathy for Mr Singh. Because of the bizarre way the law works with dangerous dogs he has had to carry the can so to speak simply because his son who owns the dog was not in."
Mr Hryhoruk is going to write to Home Secretary Teresa May and ask for the law to be changed using the case as an example.
