KEY POINTS:
The owner of a dog which mauled a two-year-old Christchurch girl, leaving her with 290 stitches, has been charged.
Two-year-old Aotea Coxon was attacked by a staffordshire cross in Christchurch's Jellie Park on August 5. As well as the stitches, she had a plate inserted in her jaw.
The dog had escaped from its fenced enclosure at a house near the park and was put down after the attack.
Aotea's mother, Chantel Coxon, said at the time she did not want the dog's owner prosecuted.
However, Christchurch police today said the owner had been charged with owning a dog which caused injury. The charge carries a penalty of up to three years imprisonment or up to a $20,000 fine.
A date for the owner's appearance in Christchurch District Court had yet to be set.
- NZPA