A mother of five has been jailed for 27 months after her two Rottweilers mauled a 78-year-old pensioner in a savage attack that led to the amputation of his arm and leg.
Chloe Taylor, 27, was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court after her dogs Ziggy, four, and Daisy, one, attacked Vic Franklin in Bognor Regis last August.
The court heard Taylor had ignored repeated warnings about her dogs’ aggressive behaviour before the 11-minute attack that left Franklin “covered in blood” and requiring emergency resuscitation.
The victim also lost a finger in what the judge described as a “scene of utter horror and terror.”
Franklin described the terrifying moment he first encountered the dogs while walking his Spaniel, Peggy.
“I heard this rustling noise and thought, ‘what’s that?'” he said.
“And all of a sudden these two dogs come round – Rottweilers. And I thought, ‘oh god’.”
“We came face to face. There was nowhere to go.”
CCTV footage showed the Rottweilers approaching Franklin from across the street, with no owners present.
The pensioner tried to protect himself and his dog by “fending off” the Rottweilers during the prolonged attack.
Franklin said he could not remember much of the ordeal, only waking up later in Brighton Hospital.
Franklin’s injuries were both “life changing” and “life threatening,” requiring emergency resuscitation upon arrival at hospital.
The attack resulted in the amputation of his left leg above the knee and his right arm below the elbow, along with the loss of a finger.
“So many people came to my aid. I can’t thank everybody enough,” Franklin said.
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The court heard that the dog owner had ignored repeated warnings about her dogs’ aggressive behaviour before the 11-minute attack that left Vic Franklin “covered in blood” and requiring emergency resuscitation
Sussex Police
Despite the severity of his injuries, he has maintained a positive outlook.
“I’ve always got a smile on my face. I’m never miserable. I get down at times but then I think to myself I’m not having it,” he said.
The court heard that Taylor had received multiple warnings about her dogs’ behaviour before the attack.
A council worker, neighbours, police officer and dog charity worker had all warned Taylor that the pets should be kept on a lead and “under control.”
Taylor even blocked the charity worker who had advised her about keeping the dogs on leads.
The dogs had been reported for “showing their teeth” in public and roaming freely, with concerns also raised about their welfare as they lived outside.
An expert found the dogs weren’t given enough activities or toys to prevent boredom. The owners had also failed to provide proper veterinary care for the animals.
In a victim impact statement, Franklin described how the attack had “turned upside down” his previously active life.
“That day my life was changed forever,” he told the court.
Chloe Taylor, 27, was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court after her dogs Ziggy, four, and Daisy, one, attacked Vic Franklin in Bognor Regis last August
Sussex Police
“I do not believe that any dog that has been raised in a loving and caring environment would have done what they had done to me.”
The pensioner explained he had been a healthy and active person until he was “brutally attacked” by the two dogs, with “no way to protect myself.”
The attack has reversed his role as a carer for his sick wife, who now has to look after him instead.
Taylor was heavily pregnant at the time of the attack and left the dogs unsecured in her garden just four days before giving birth.
“The dogs were left insecure outside in the garden – a garden from which they had escaped many times before and that you were aware was not secure,” Judge William Ashworth told Taylor.
The judge said he was “quite satisfied” that Taylor knew the dogs posed a risk.
Describing the attack, Judge Ashworth said Franklin was “savaged” for over 11 minutes.
“It’s a scene of utter horror and terror,” he said. “The experience and terror is being anyone’s comprehension.”
Neighbour James Jones rushed to help after his wife alerted him to the attack, arming himself with a long spirit level.
Upon arrival, he found Franklin being mauled by the two Rottweilers, whose faces were “covered in blood.”
Jones witnessed Ziggy “chewing something that looked like skin” in what he described as the most “unpleasant and unnerving site he has seen.”
He initially thought Franklin was “a bag” being “pulled about” due to the severity of his injuries.
For his life-saving intervention, Jones was awarded a Sheriff’s Award for Bravery by the judge.
Taylor’s partner Matthew Roberts received a suspended sentence and was ordered to complete 20 rehabilitative activity days and 100 hours of unpaid work.
Both Taylor and Roberts admitted being in charge of dogs that were “dangerously out of control.”
The couple’s defence lawyer Jeffrey Lamb said: “What is clear from the pre-sentence report is the profound remorse both these young people have about what it was that their two dogs did.”
Both defendants have been banned from owning dogs for the next 10 years.
The two Rottweilers involved in the attack have since been put down.
