Dog owner applies for attack case rehearing

One of the two dog owners handed jail terms after a 7-year-old girl was savaged in a park has applied to have his case reheard, and the other is expected to follow.

Brian Hill and Henry Owen last month admitted that their American staffordshire terrier was to blame when Carolina Anderson suffered horrific facial injuries in an Auckland park.

The pair were each given two-month prison terms, but have been on bail after lodging an appeal.



Hill's lawyer, Lorraine Smith, said yesterday that she had filed papers seeking a rehearing because of new information. The application would be considered by the Auckland District Court next month.



Ms Smith had previously said a police job sheet raised questions about the two men's guilty pleas.

The job sheet allegedly puts them in a supermarket 15 minutes away at the time of the attack.

However, police said at the time that they were satisfied the evidence leading to the convictions was robust and would withstand close scrutiny.

Lawyer Peter Boylan said that he was about to file a similar application on behalf of Owen.

Carolina has undergone hours of surgery and faces further operations into her teens.

- NZPA