Parents of teenager killed in scary dog attack ten years ago ‘will not stop defending her’

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Jade Lomas-Anderson suffered dreadful injuries as she was bitten ‘from head to toe’ by 4 dogs at a friend’s home in 2013. At the time, it was just unlawful to have an out-of-control dog in a public location

The family of a teenager killed by 4 dangerous dogs ten years earlier have actually required brand-new laws to deal with the skyrocketing variety of deadly attacks.

Jade Lomas-Anderson, 14, suffered dreadful injuries as she was bitten “from head to toe” by 2 bull mastiffs and 2 Staffordshire bull terriers at a friend’s home on March 26, 2013.

At the time, it was just unlawful to have an out-of-control dog in a public location – however that was altered to consist of personal homes after her moms and dads defended harder laws.

Ten years on, they state this is still insufficient and the law needs to be “ripped up and started again” in their child’s name.

Mum Shirley, 46, said: “The law we have now is a massive insult to Jade’s legacy. Every time there is a dog attack, it’s a kick in the face to us and we feel angry and upset.

“Today, we are calling for a new standalone Jade’s Law, which we know will stop other families going through what we have.”

Shirley and other half Mike desire harsher prison terms and restrictions for owners of vicious dogs, and believe all dog owners need to take an online tutorial and be on a cops database.

The couple want to go over reform with Environment Secretary Therese Coffey and Mike, 43, said: “It’s time to accept things are at breaking point.

“We are calling for the dog legislation to sit on its own, not be buried in the antisocial behaviour bill.”

They spoke as latest figures reveal injuries brought on by dogs have actually increased by over a 3rd in 5 years – from 16,000 in 2018 to 22,000 in 2015. Twelve individuals have actually been killed by unsafe types because the start of 2022 in the UK.

Last Sunday, a pack of dogs whipped a lady aged 6 in a street less than 5 miles from where Jade was killed. A 35-year-old man has actually appeared in court while 17 dogs were eliminated.

Mike – Jade’s stepfather – said: “Dangerous dog attacks have become a spiralling epidemic. We want justice for families. We don’t want to ban dogs. We love dogs and have two. It pains us when we see dogs being destroyed.

“It’s almost always the owners who are dangerous. It’s 90% owner, it’s 10% the dog. We want the onus to be placed more on the owners.”

Shirley included: “Jade would help anyone. She would shop for the elderly, help them across the road. This is what Jade would have done if she was here. She’d be pushing for change and that is why we will never give up.”

Jade was assaulted at a friend’s house in Atherton, Greater Manchester, 5 minutes from her own home.

An inquest heard her friend’s mom, Beverley Concannon, had 5 dogs. Some were said to be “stir-crazy” and “hyper-aggressive” from being caged or caged in her house. Neighbours declared they were never ever strolled.

Prosecutors said there was insufficient proof for a murder case. Instead, magistrates offered the out of work mum of 5 a 16-week suspended sentence for animal cruelty and a restriction on keeping dogs. The court heard Jade passed away of “horrific injuries” she struggled with “head to toe”.

Mike said: “I was hoping she’d get some prison sentence. I broke down outside court. When I got home, I remember saying, ‘The law has to change. We have to do something’.”

The couple fulfilled political leaders consisting of then-PM David Cameron and the law was conditioned, extending an owner’s duty to managing their dogs on personal property. But Mike said: “As a soon as I heard the law would fall under the anti-social behaviour bill, I had this niggly feeling this will not be enough. I hate to say it but that gut feeling was right.” Even the coroner at the 2014 inquest into Jade’s death believed the law had actually not gone far enough.

Shirley said: “We sat back and watched to see if it would have an effect. Ten years on, we can confidently say it hasn’t. It’s upsetting. But this is why the time is now for change. It still feels like yesterday when everything happened. We’ve had therapy. It feels so hard when we hear someone else has gone through what we have.

“We mark her birthday and do things she would want us to. We have two other children. We try and live every day like she’d like us to. I still sleep with her One Direction pillow because she loved Harry Styles. She was a proper tomboy. She loved climbing, being cheeky, the joker. We will never stop fighting for her.” The Government said: “We recently published research examining measures to reduce dog attacks and promote responsible dog ownership. We have set up a group with police, local authorities and animal welfare to advise on how the proposals could work.”