Brave pensioner saves boy from savage dog praised by judge (From Barry And District News)

Brave pensioner saves boy from savage dog praised by judge

A PENSIONER was commended by a judge for her bravery in saving a boy from the jaws of a savage dog.

Lewis McCarthy, aged 13, still bears the scars from the attack, and has numbness in his right hand.

He was saved from more serious injuries when passers-by Marion Pratt, aged 67, and husband Terrence, aged 69, dragged the dog away from Lewis.

He was attacked in March last year by a bull mastiff as he was walking back from football practice at St Richard Gwyn School.

At Cardiff Crown Court last week, Judge Durham Hall said: "I have rarely heard of or seen such bravery as shown by Mrs Pratt that day and ask that she be formally commended for her bravery."

Mrs Pratt said: "We just did what we thought was right at the time. I am a bit embarrassed to be commended.

"I have 12 grandchildren and I just thought about saving Lewis. I did not think about the possible danger to myself.

"I did think about what I had done after it happened - but I don't want any praise."

The dog's owner, mother-of-four Margaret Evans, aged 41, of Dobbins Road, originally denied that her dog had attacked Lewis, but a DNA sample proved the dog's guilt.

Saliva from the boy's torn jacket was sent to Germany, by the Vale of Glamorgan Council, for testing - and the results proved the dog was guilty.

At Cardiff Crown Court last week Dobbins was given a two year conditional discharge and ordered to pay Lewis McCarthy 500 compensation for owning a dangerous dog and allowing it to cause injury.

The dog will be destroyed.

Lewis's mum Ann McCarthy, a nurse, of Cassy Hill, said: "Lewis is very wary of dogs but he does not like to admit it. If we go outside and he hears a chain rattling he thinks it is a dog so he runs back inside.

"It has made me wary as well. Before this happened I did not think about the dogs I walked past in the streets.

"Now I wonder what damage the animal could do.

"If the Pratts had not helped Lewis it would have been a lot worse for him, and the puffa jacket he was wearing on the day also helped.

"Mr and Mrs Pratt are lovely people and we are very grateful for their help.

"They live in France but were visiting relatives at the time of the attack. They came back recently and brought the children Easter eggs."