Woman dies following attack by police dog - Cleveland Police, July 2014
At around 8.30pm on 16 July 2014 Cleveland Police stopped a car in Middlesbrough that contained three men and a substantial quantity of heroin and cash. One of the men escaped by running off into neighbouring gardens.
The police received information that the man might have been seen near the rear garden of a house. Police officers spoke with the woman who lived in the house and obtained her consent to search the rear garden.
A Cleveland Police dog handler searched her garden with his police dog, who was unleashed throughout the search. Sometime later, unbeknown to the dog handler, the police dog entered the house through the back door and attacked the woman, causing serious injuries to her arm and leg. She was given first aid and transported to hospital, where she died four days later. The pathologist who carried out the post-mortem examination was of the opinion there was a causal link between her death and the injuries she sustained in the attack.
During the investigation the Lead Investigator found an indication that the dog handler may have behaved in a manner which would justify the instigation of disciplinary and criminal proceedings. We interviewed him under criminal caution.
Investigators also obtained and reviewed statements from the woman’s family, officers involved in the incident, as well as paramedics and medical staff who looked after the woman. They also examined images captured by a National Police Air Service helicopter deployed to assist in the search for the man, and compared them with corresponding police radio transmissions. Investigators reviewed relevant national and local policies and guidance.
Based on the evidence available, the Lead Investigator was of the opinion that there was sufficient evidence to indicate that the dog handler had failed to undertake an appropriate risk assessment prior to releasing his police dog, and failed to control him once released.
We sent our final report to Cleveland Police for review in May 2015 and also referred the incident to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), as we found indications of criminality.
Cleveland Police asked to wait until the CPS had made a decision on criminality before making their determinations relating to misconduct.
In January 2016 the CPS informed us that it had decided not to bring any criminal proceedings against any of the persons involved in the incident.
The force then agreed to hold a misconduct meeting for the dog handler. The proceedings were postponed at the request of the conducting officer for the misconduct meeting.
At the meeting, held in November 2017, the allegations of misconduct were proven for the officer and he received a written warning.
An inquest into the woman’s death was held in September 2018. The jury concluded that she had died from natural causes contributed to by the consequences of the dog bite while the dog was out of control.