What was supposed to be a pleasant visit to Brumunddal last summer ended in tragedy. A boy aged one year and eight months was killed when his grandmother’s rottweiler attacked the boy. Now the woman in her 50s is charged with negligently causing the death of another. The woman pleads not guilty. Completely devastated, she explained the terrible incident at her home on June 5, 2021. The woman was looking after three minor children that weekend. AT THE SCENE: The police were called after the tragic death on 5 June 2021 in Brumunddal. Now a woman in her 50s is charged with negligently causing the death of another. Photo: Fredrik Hagen / NTB Makeshift fence According to the indictment, the owner let two dogs she owned loose in the garden, with the veranda door to the living room open. Between the veranda and the living room, the owner had put up a makeshift gate. The children were playing on the other side of the house. But the one boy went into the house and probably to the door on the other side and the gate. There one of the dogs got hold of him. The grandmother explained in court that she thought the boy went in to get some ice cream, and that it wasn’t long before she followed him. GRIND: This was the makeshift gate that was supposed to separate the dogs from those inside the house. Photo: The police When she discovered what unfolded on the other side of the house, she tried desperately to separate the boy and the dog. A neighbor also came to heal her. She described the dog as completely different from what he used to be. The boy died as a result of the bite injuries. Both dogs were euthanized on the spot. – I just want to say sorry, I just want to say sorry, the woman repeated many times during her explanation. DEFENDER: Defendant, lawyer Jens Henrik Lien, in the court in Hamar. Photo: Frode Meskau / news Was afraid of the dog Keeping the dog for the defendant will be an important topic in the trial. On several occasions in the past, the Rottweiler is said to have injured children. State Attorney Magnus Schartum-Hansen referred to five concrete incidents in his introductory speech. In four of these cases, children were involved. In January 2016, a three-year-old girl was bitten on the eye and on the head by the dog. She had to go to hospital and get stitches. In July 2016, a 6-year-old girl was bitten on the head and arm by the dog. In January 2017, an 8-year-old boy suffered a wound to the lower part of his lip. In this case, it is uncertain whether it was a bite or whether the boy had injured himself in some other way. In February 2019: a boy who was under one year old was injured in the head by the dog. In February 2021, an adult man was bitten on a finger while playing with the dog. An important topic in court will probably be whether the accused woman was well acquainted with all these cases and how she assessed the danger that her dog represented. NEGLIGENT: Public prosecutor Magnus Schartum-Hansen believes the accused woman was negligent when her dog attacked and killed the little boy. Photo: Frode Meskau / news Wants to demand compensation Inger Johanne Reiestad Hansen is the legal aid lawyer for the mother of the murdered boy. – My client believes that it is right to have a trial and that the defendant’s dog keeping is reviewed. On behalf of my client, I will make a claim for compensation, says Reiestad Hansen. She suggests that the compensation claim could amount to NOK 200,000. AFRAIDS: The mother thinks it is right that the case goes to court, even though she is very afraid, according to legal aid lawyer Inger Johanne Reiestad Hansen. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news According to Reiestad Hansen, the boy’s mother was afraid of the dog. She must have expressed that they had to be very careful if the children were to be where these dogs were. For the first time in Norway, the woman has also been prosecuted for breaching Section 28 of the Dogs Act for not properly fencing the dog. The accused woman denies criminal guilt. According to the defender, the case is naturally extremely stressful for her. It is the first time that someone in this country has been prosecuted for negligently causing another’s death, in connection with a dog killing a human. It is very rare for dogs to attack and kill people. In Norway, nine people have died as a result of dog attacks in the last twenty years. The case shook the local community. The crisis team in Ringsaker municipality was called in to help the families. LOCAL COMMUNITY SHOCKED: – All thoughts and love go to the relatives in a very difficult situation, said Anita Ihle Steen, mayor of Ringsaker municipality after the incident last summer. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news Five days have been set aside in the Østre Innlandet district court in Hamar.
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The Rottweiler is said to have bitten several children in the past – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
