Woman avoids jail after XL bully mauled her cousin to death
A woman who was in charge of an out of control XL bully dog which killed her teenage cousin has avoided prison.
Listen to this article
Kelcie Reed, 24, received an 18-week prison sentence – suspended for 18 months – after 19-year-old Morgan Dorsett died when she was attacked by the large dog.
The XL bully named Prince fatally injured Miss Dorsett inside a flat at Cobhorn Drive, Withywood, Bristol, on February 26 last year.
Ms Dorsett, from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, suffered fatal bites to her neck and head, Bristol Crown Court heard.
At a previous hearing Reed pleaded guilty to being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control, causing injury resulting in death.
Imposing the suspended sentence with a nine-month mental health treatment requirement, Judge Anna Richardson said: “This is a case that was utterly tragic for Morgan Dorsett’s family and it has also had a huge impact upon you.
“I accept not a comparable impact, but a huge impact.
“The sentence that I pass, regardless of where I found this case was on the guidelines would, I suspect, appear entirely inadequate to Morgan’s family.
“That is because the harm that has been suffered is of the greatest possible magnitude for her loved ones.
“The effect of this order is that you have a prison sentence.
“If you do not attend appointments in the next 18 months, and if you do not complete the treatment requirement, then you serve that prison sentence.”