Dog attacked people in two incidents in Camelon leaving woman with 'life changing' injuries

The Japanese Akita dog, known as Teddy, was already subject of nine previous behaviour complaints and was subject to a pre-existing dog control notice requiring it to be muzzled and kept on a short leash.

Falkirk Sheriff Court was told on Wednesday that he attacked the male victim, Ryan Tuck, 26, in Camelon, in June 2022, sinking his teeth into his arm, then just months later in November attacked 42-year-old Terri Brown, also in Camelon, repeatedly biting her on the arm and hand, and trying to attack her face, to her severe injury, permanent disfigurement and permanent impairment.

Prosecutor James Moncrieff said Mr Tuck had been visiting his mother in Hamilton Street, Camelon. About 2.50 pm he left the address, along with his mother, and as he did so he "suddenly felt immense pain" and screamed in agony.

Mr Moncrieff said: "He looked down and observed an Akita dog latched onto his left forearm. The dog had its teeth in his arm."

The dog was being walked on a lead by Jurgis Tamulis, 58, who pulled at it, but its teeth remained in Mr Tuck's arm for 10 seconds before letting go and Tamulis just walked off.

Mr Tuck was left with a large hole in his hoodie sleeve, and his arm was bleeding badly, with a puncture wound and teeth marks.

He followed Tamulis who made off with the dog down an alley, before walking back into the street where the attack had occurred and entering a common close.

Mr Tuck reported the street number to police before going to hospital for treatment.

On November 22 last year, shortly after mid-day, Ms Brown was walking along Carmuirs Street, Camelon, towards the Tesco store, when she noticed Tamulis's partner, Nijole Tamuliene, 63, with the dog on "a long rope".

Ms Brown walked onto the road to get round the dog.

Mr Moncrieff said: "At this point the dog lunged at her from over six feet away with its mouth open, and put both its forepaws up at her. She tried to move away but it caught her on her left forearm.

"She pulled her arm away and she saw her sleeve had been ripped off and was lying on the ground.

"She then felt pain and saw a significant amount of blood coming from her arm and saw the skin was hanging off it."

Mr Moncrieff said the dog then went for her face, and she stuck her left hand up to protect herself. The dog then bit at her hand, puncturing the skin.

Tamuliene was seen to "run down" a nearby street, while a member of the public called an ambulance and the police.

Ms Brown, a full-time carer, was taken to hospital and given morphine and gas because of the pain. She needed a skin graft, spent a week in hospital, and had to have her dressings changed regularly by medics for three and a half months.

Mr Moncrieff told the court: "The incident has affected her day-to-day life as the skin on her arm's very thin. She's limited in what she can do in terms of putting strain on her arm.

"She describes the incident as having been life-changing for her."

Tamuliene was arrested and the dog – said to belong to Tamuliene's son – was taken into custody. She told police the incident had taken place "very quickly and from her point of view unexpectedly".

Tamuliene and Tamulis, of Camelon, speaking through a Lithuanian interpreter, confirmed pleas of guilty to being in charge of a dangerously-out-of-control dog.

Mr Moncrieff said: "The dog is currently being held in kennels. The court is obliged to consider it's destruction."

Defence solicitor Simon Hutchison asked the court to obtain background reports before sentencing the couple.

Sheriff Maryam Labaki continued the case until November 15 for reports including an assessment of the two accused's suitability for a restriction of liberty order.

She added: "An order for the destruction of the dog requires to be considered. What struck me was that a total of 10 dog control notices had been made. I'd be interested to know what they were for – what type of complaints there had been."