The owner of a dog that savagely attacked a 11-year-old girl leaving her with broken bones has been jailed.
Siddique Ali, 43, from Mile End, East London was sentenced to 14 months in prison after being found guilty of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury to a person.
He was also banned from owning dogs for 10 years at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
The youngster was walking along the road in Limehouse on her way to school on September 28 last year.
She walked past a man with two dogs and one of the creatures lunged at her, bitting her several times on the hand and arm.
A passing taxi driver intervened to free the child from the dog’s grip and she was taken to hospital for several days.
The animal's owner Ali left the scene of the incident before police arrived.
At the time, Detective Inspector Luke Hampton said: “This was a shocking and sustained attack on a young girl as she walked to school. The incident not only left her with serious injuries – including broken bones – but has also left her traumatised."
Having exhausted all other lines of enquiry, on December 5 2022, detectives released images of the man with the dogs, appealing for the public to identify him.
The man was identified and Ali was arrested at his home on December 22 2022. He was then charged with being in control of a dangerously out of control dog.
Detective Inspector Luke Hampton of the Met's Central East Command said: “Ali had no control over the animal that attacked the child and even left the scene knowing that she had been seriously injured.
"I hope that today’s sentence brings the child and her family a measure of comfort following what has been a deeply traumatic incident.”
It comes as calls grow for dog owners whose pets kill other dogs to be prosecuted.
