Girl, 11, attacked by eight dogs in Devon farm
15 January 2025, 15:18
Eight dogs attacked a girl, 11, leaving her with 36 wounds to her body and scars for the rest of her life.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Eight Labradors attacked a woman and a girl, age 11, during a visit to Coombeland Farm in Devon.
The first attack occurred when the woman delivered Hay in January 2024, leaving her with 11 wounds across her body and her trousers in complete tatters. The woman spent five days in hospital and had two rounds of surgery.
The dog owner, John Hardy, offered the woman £80 for new trousers and offered her compensation.
The second attack occurred in February 2024 when the 11-year-old girl returned with her mother to the farm to enquire about a horse Hardy was selling.
That was when a pack of eight Labradors attacked the girl in the yard. The animals pinned her down and repeatedly bit her until her mother and a farmhand dragged her away from the dogs.
During the attack, she asked her mother 'Am I going to die?', according to The Mirror.
The girl had 36 wounds to her body and was bruised. She also required a tetanus shot.
The woman's partner reportedly believed the girl was going to be killed in the attack.
Read more: Two-year-old boy dies after incident at nursery as police launch urgent investigation
Three of Hardy's dogs have been destroyed following the attacks, and the dog owner has even convicted of two offences of being the owner of dogs that were dangerously out of control, DevonLive reports.
He was given 150 hours of unpaid work as part of a 15-month suspended sentence, and was ordered to pay each victim £5000 compensation.
The young girl has been diagnosed with PTSD and said she is "really scared of dogs".
Her mother accused Hardy of being 'blase' about the attack.
Hardy pleaded not guilty initially, but later admitted to the charges and was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court.
Judge David Evans described the attacks as prolonged and savage, and warned that the other dogs would be destroyed too if Hardy could not keep them under control.
Hardy is selling his equine business and his farm estate.
He has said he is "shocked and appalled" by the attacks, and that he was deeply sorry.
