by Press Association

A couple have been jailed after their banned pit bull-type dog ripped the scalp off a toddler during an “horrific” attack.

The young girl had been playing with her older sister at a playground in Kent when she was attacked by the terrier, a court heard.

Michael Thornton and Hayley Eldridge had paid a teenage girl with cannabis to walk their new pet, but the girl lost control of it in the playground and it attacked the 18-month-old.

The court heard the toddler had her ponytail ripped out by the animal, which then dragged her round the play area by her head.

The child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, fought for her life as she was rushed to hospital after the incident in Chatham in April 2017.

In a statement read to Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday, her father said she faces years of surgery after her scalp could not be re-attached.

He said the attack robbed his little girl of the most important moments of her life and added: “This act has changed my family’s life forever.

“I don’t understand how and why this happened to my little girl. I don’t understand how the owners allowed this to happen.

“How could they be so reckless? How could they let this happen to my little girl?”

He added: “I am angry, I am very angry. My little girl does not deserve to be going through what she is going through.”

Eldridge sat looking upset in the dock while the family’s statement was read out to the court.

Both Thornton and Eldridge, of Chatham, previously pleaded guilty to owning a dog which caused injury while dangerously out of control in a public place under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Judge David Griffith-Jones QC issued an arrest warrant not backed for bail for Thornton after he failed to attend the hearing.

He said: “Frankly, an idiot in a hurry would know such a dog should be looked after with the greatest care and circumspection because of the foreseeability of such a dog running amok.”

Jailing Eldridge and Thornton for more than two years each, Judge Griffith-Jones said leaving the dog with the teenage girl was “utter folly” and they had shown “reckless disregard for public safety”.

He added: “The consequences were appalling and tragic. The injuries caused to the little girl were horrific and life-changing. Her scalp was torn from her head.

“No little girl should have to endure such a dreadful trauma.”

The judge said he gave both defendants the benefit of the doubt that they did not know the dog was a banned breed.

On the afternoon of April 4, the dog, called Max, was taken into a play area on the Jenkins Dale estate before the teenager walking it lost control, the court heard.

The white-and-tan canine then mauled the toddler, biting her head and dragging her across the ground, ripping off a ponytail.

A large part of her scalp could not be replaced and she has had to undergo weekly operations to replace a gauze shield protecting an exposed part of skull.

She is likely to need a major muscle and skin graft once fully grown.

The dog was shot dead by firearms officers after the attack.

Thornton, 27, and 29-year-old Eldridge had only owned the animal for around a week after re-homing what was advertised as a Staffordshire bull terrier cross-breed.

John Fitzgerald, defending Thornton, admitted his client had a “very bad” criminal record, but none of it in connection to any violence and had shown remorse.

He added: “There’s evidence of remorse. I appreciate that the defendant’s absence add great weight to that submission. But it’s plain from his interviews he was very upset by the role he played in the dog doing what it did.”

Eldridge also admitted one count of perjury for telling the family court under oath the police were taking no further action against her. However, at the time she made the statement in October 2017 she had been charged for the previous offence.

Nicholas Jones, mitigating Eldridge, said she had spiralled into depression which led to substance abuse problems.

He added: “She comes before the court a broken woman. The irony of this case was the dog was obtained in an attempt to bring her out of that spiral.

“I plea for mercy, she is starting to try to rebuild her life.”

Eldridge was jailed for 21 months and 18 weeks and Thornton for two years in his absence. Both were banned from owning a dog for five years.

Following her arrest, the teenager who walked the dog pleaded guilty to being in charge of a dog which was dangerously out of control.

In October last year she was given a 12-month supervision order at Medway Magisrates’ Court, Kent Police said.