The parents of a toddler left scarred for life after she was mauled by a dog while she fed the ducks blasted police for refusing to prosecute the owner – because the mutt was on a LEAD.
Lily-May Brindley was with her grandmother at a park when a snarling Jack Russell leapt up and sank its fangs into her face leaving her top LIP hanging off.
The 22-month-old tot was rushed to hospital and underwent a two-hour operation in which surgeons used 20 stitches to sew her lip back together.
Doctors have warned Lily-May’s parents, Jack Brindley and Sarah Wainwright, their daughter may be scarred for life as a result of the savage attack.
Shockingly, police are refusing to press charges or confiscate the dog – saying the law states the animal was under control because it was on a lead.
Bizarrely, despite Lily-May’s appalling injuries, police say there is “insufficent evidence” to take the case further.
Fuming dad Jack, 20, said: “Police are saying it was not a crime because the dog was on a lead, but my daughter’s lip was hanging off.
“Lily-May had gone with my mum, Kate Brindley, to feed the ducks when the dog bit her lip.
“At first the owner said he would have the dog put down, but now he has changed his mind.
“The police are saying that because the dog was on a lead it was under control.
“Since it happened Lily-May keeps waking up at night, I think she is having nightmares about it because she keeps crying out in her sleep.
“We went in to comfort her the other night and she had her hands over her face and was screaming for help.
“She’s been left traumatised by the attack yet the dog is now free to do it again to another child.
“It’s very upsetting. She couldn’t eat for two days and she is on medication now.”
Lily-May was attacked at the duck pond at Smithpool Park near the couple’s home in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs., on April 17.
Mum Sarah, 20, added: “I was devastated when I saw what had happened. I couldn’t look at her it was so horrible.
“She had to have an operation to stitch her lip back on.
“She is waking up at night and having nightmares about it. She is also in a lot of pain.
“I think she will be left with a scar for life. I would like to see the dog put down.
“I am scared now that the dog has a taste for human blood, no child is safe. If it attacks children when it is on a lead, God knows what it is capable of when it is running free.
The couple, who also have a 15-day old daughter Daisy, are now warning parents in the area to be careful when taking their children to the park.
The owner, who has not been named, described the incident as an “accident” and said he would be keeping the animal muzzled on walks from now.
A Staffordshire Police spokesperson confirmed there was “insufficient evidence” to press charges because the dog was under control.
They added: “A one-year-old girl had been bitten on the lip by a Jack Russell dog and this had happened at the park at Smithpool Road, Fenton.
“Patrols attended and spoke to all parties concerned, the parents, the little girl’s nan, who was with her at the time, and the dog owner.
“The girl’s father was inquiring with the view to press charges, but then changed his mind. The dog’s owner said he was going to have the dog put down.
“Ultimately there was insufficient evidence to support an offence of having a dog out of control in a public place.
“The dog was under control, on a lead. What appears to have happened is the child stood close to the dog while holding a bag containing bread and the dog has bitten her on the mouth.
“We believe the dog was acting on natural instinct and accidentally came into contact with the child’s mouth.”
