Dog owner in mauling incident has bail extended

A St James woman who fell afoul of the law after her three pit bulls allegedly attacked and mauled her neighbour in January, had her bail extended when she appeared in the St James Parish Court on Friday.

Felionia Phang, of a Flanker address, is charged with breaching the Dogs (Liability for Attacks) Act, which was passed on December 4, 2020 and allows for the owners of dogs that attack and injure people to be charged. During Friday's court sitting, the prosecution told presiding Parish Judge Kaysha Grant-Pryce that the case file was incomplete, as the medical certificate is currently still outstanding. As a result, Judge Grant-Pryce set July 5 as Phang's next court date, while also advising the clerk of the court that discussions must be held with the administrators at the Cornwall Regional Hospital, where the complainant was treated, to expedite the process of completing the medical report.

"The medical certificate is outstanding, as there seems to be an issue at the hospital, hence the delay in moving forward with this matter," Judge Grant-Pryce told Phang before allowing her to leave the courtroom.

According to the allegations, on January 18 at about 6 a.m., the complainant was walking in Flanker, on her way to deal with some paperwork regarding a job, when she noticed several pit bulls on a neighbouring property. Shortly afterwards, while speaking with a neighbour, the complainant noticed one of the dogs aggressively approaching her. She picked up a stone to fend off the dog, but before she could throw it, the animal attacked and bit her on her face. The other dogs joined in the attack, and the complainant suffered several bites and scratches all over her body, including injuries to her forehead, right eye, right foot, and left elbow. She managed to escape and was subsequently taken to the Cornwall Regional Hospital for treatment.

The dogs were later identified as belonging to Phang, who was subsequently arrested and charged.