HALEY Sulley And Della Woods Jailed:Two Liverpool Women to Serve One Year in Prison for Allowing Dog to Eat Neighbor Alive
Liverpool, England – Mersey-Cheshire Crown Prosecution Service’s Senior Crown Prosecutor Gary Simpson put it best when he expressed that the tragedy caused to two female residents of this city was completely avoidable. The Norris Green residents 29-year-old Della Woods and 30-year-old Hayley Sulley will spend one year in prison for the death of their 79-year-old neighbor Clifford Clarke from a dog attack. The retiree was minding his own business preparing lamb meat in his kitchen when a dog owned by the two aforementioned women entered his home and attacked him in what prosecutors claim was an attempt to eat the elderly man alive.
By the time the attack was over, he had been dragged by the dog into his yard. One arm was mauled so badly it had to be removed. The other was nearly gnawed off. He suffered many more bite injuries. In the end, he succumbed to his injuries. He had just celebrated his birthday the day before the attack. What is believed to have provoked the dog attack is sheer hunger. Both Woods and Sulley failed to care for the dog and it resorted to lapping up dirty water, and eating cigarette butts and plastic bowls.
When police arrived to aid Mr. Clarke, the dog, a Presa Canario, was foaming at the mouth and in a rabid state.
The Perro de Presa Canario is a large Molosser-type dog breed originally bred for working livestock. The name of the breed is Spanish, means “Canarian catch dog”, and is often shortened to “Presa Canario” or simply “Presa”. The breed is sometimes also called Dogo Canario, meaning “Canarian Molosser” (WIKIPEDIA)
They dropped the dog only to see it chew on the butt of the rifle and arise for yet another attack. Mr. Clarke’s family is devastated by his senseless death. He was considered a nurturing man and they were relying on the emotional support he gave them. The prosecutor was grateful that the women accepted the plea bargain to spare the family the horror of reliving Mr. Clarke’s death. In addition to their prison sentence, the women accepted a lifetime prohibition on dog ownership.
Hayley Sulley Della Woods dog ate neighbour
Speaking to the Mirror, Clifford’s furious brother Ken Clarke said: “They got one year in jail and will probably be out in six months.
“It’s no sort of punishment. If the judge had given them longer it would have made an example of them.
“You didn’t have these problems with dogs 20 years ago.
“But now you have eight-stone girls hauling 13-stone dogs behind them on a lead. It’s wrong.”
Gary Simpson, senior crown prosecutor with the Mersey-Cheshire Crown Prosecution Service, said Sulley and Woods should have time to reflect on their actions.
“The guilty pleas of these two women have thankfully brought this case to a relatively speedy conclusion and have saved Mr Clarke’s relatives the ordeal of a trial,” he said. “Hayley Sulley and Della Woods were both responsible for the dog’s welfare and behaviour on that fateful day. Their failure to make sure the dog was cared for and under control has led to a man’s death and they must now come to terms with that. Our thoughts are with the family of Mr Clarke at this sad time.”
Killed: Clifford Clarke was attacked by a dog neglected by Hayley Sulley (top) and Della Woods
Both womenwere told by the judge that they were fortunate not to have been charged with manslaughter. He said the maximum sentence he could pass was two years. New laws have been brought in since the fatal attack to increase the maximum term to 14 years but the judge said that could not be applied retrospectively.
Brown said: “I hope that the recent changes to the law will be of some small comfort to Mr Clarke’s family.
“Figures released recently show that the number of dangerous dogs seized by the police has risen 50% in just two years in some police forces around the country.”
Both women were banned from keeping dogs for life.
Source:
‘Eaten alive’: Two women jailed for 12 months after their dog killed Liverpool pensioner Clifford Clarke
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/hayley-sulley-and-della-woodss-dog-charlie-ate-neighbour-clifford-clarke-alive-after-being-neglected/story-fnixwvgh-1226943651370
”No sort of punishment”: Couple whose starved dog ‘ate pensioner alive’ jailed for just year
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/no-sort-punishment-couple-whose-3642099
Two women whose dog mauled neighbour to death jailed for 12 months
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jun/03/women-dog-killed-neighbour-jailed-liverpool