Justice is sometimes a dog show
Terence Pillay revisits the story of a young child mauled to death by his neighbour’s dog, and finds that justice is a slow-moving machine.
LISTEN: Terence caught up with Estelle to find out exactly what has happened in this case over the last eighteen months:
In February 2016 I featured the story of Estelle and Graydon Sinkins whose son Jamie was mauled to death after their neighbour’s dog dug underneath the fence and got on to their property. Jamie, like any other young child, was simply playing outside, in his own yard.
After the attack, people were outraged. An internationally-recognised dog trainer had even spoken out against owners who keep what she described as “potentially dangerous animals without ensuring that they are properly trained and socialised.”
“Not understanding how a dog’s instincts function and how dogs naturally communicate is what causes them to be aggressive. Families need to learn the simple natural laws that govern dog behaviour. If a dog appears to be aggressive, owners should get help immediately,” she said.
Estelle and her husband laid charges against the neighbour, but the wheels of justice seemed to turn very slowly. Then we featured the story on 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' and suddenly there was interest in it, so much so that a lawyer even contacted them to take up the case.
If a dog escapes its yard and attacks somebody outside, whose responsibility is it?
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