Dog attack: Owners charged

Sakurako Uehara.

The owners of four dogs which mauled a young girl in their back garden have been charged.

Sakurako Uehara, 7, was attacked by four dogs at the Murupara property earlier this month.

Today the two owners of the dogs had been charged with owning a dog which caused serious injury, an offence against Section 58 of the Dog Control Act, police said.

The pair were summonsed to appear in Rotorua District Court next month.

Sakurako remains in hospital undergoing treatment for her injuries.

She was attacked by four Staffordshire bull terrier-crosses while visiting a family friend's property with her parents on March 4. Doctors say she received more than 100 bites to her face, limbs, and almost "every part of her body'' in the ferocious attack.

All four dogs were put down shortly after the attack.