Owner Of Pitbull That Mauled Neighbor To Death Sentenced To 5 Months In Prison

KEY POINTS

A female dog owner was sentenced to five months in prison for manslaughter
A judge ruled that she knew her pet was aggressive before the incident
She admitted to the crime and made a settlement with the victim's family

A dog owner was sentenced to five months in prison and two years of probation for manslaughter after her pet killed her neighbor in Taiwan, reports said.

On Oct.10, 2011, a neighbor, identified as Hsu, visited the 55-year-old female dog owner, known by the surname Fan, at her residence in Jianshi Township in Hsinchu County, CNA reported as translated by Taiwan News.

Fan supposedly saw her drunk neighbor teasing her pet pit bull. The dog later attacked Hsu. But the pet owner allegedly did not stop the animal.

The dog then bit the neighbor on his right thigh and refused to "let go" of Hsu.
Fan supposedly asked her partner, surnamed Chao, to hold and pull Hsu's upper body to save him from the dog.

Unfortunately, the move only made the victim suffer from hemorrhagic shock, which later caused Hsu's death in the hospital.

Authorities argued that Fan should have enforced preventive and protective measures since she knew her pet was aggressive, adding that she should have made the dog wear a muzzle.

Despite the incident, Fan managed to reach a settlement with the victim's family.

She also admitted to the crime, prompting the Hsinchu District Court to sentence her to five months in jail, which may be commuted to fines, and two years of probation.

Fan can still appeal her sentence. But there is no information yet if she has already appealed.

In related news, a Tainan man was sentenced to two months in prison after his pet parrot wounded a doctor, Focus Taiwan reported.

Huang was also fined 3.04m New Taiwan dollars ($91,350) after a certain Dr. Lin sued him for negligent injury and made a civil claim for compensation for his financial losses.

The doctor reportedly suffered a hip joint dislocation and an acetabulum bone fracture on his right hip after getting "attacked" by the bird while jogging along the access road in Gueiren District on July 13, 2020.

The Tainan District Court issued the ruling against the bird owner on Dec. 30, 2022.