Girl attacked in the face by a pitbull: exercises for a year to relearn how to smile

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Claudia Berthiaume

Monday, 19 February 2018 14:02

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Monday, 19 February 2018 14:02

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After having been savagely bitten in the face by a pitbull who attacked in a park of Brossard, a girl of 7 years had to do exercises for a year to relearn how to smile.

Jaw fractured in seven parts, muscles and nerves of the cheek torn out, ear ripped, a large scar and facial paralysis: the face of the small Vanessa Biron has been literally crushed the 20 September 2015.

The child of seven years had just come to the park of the Marquise, Brossard, with her mother and her younger sister, when a type dog pitbull attacked her for no apparent reason.

The aggressive dog, by the name of Ashes, as well as a bullmastiff, named Jordan, were in the park, without a leash or collar. The beasts were in the vicinity of Hyacinth Parker, the mother of the owner, Karim, Jean-Gilles, who was not on the premises.

“I asked the lady why her dog had no leash. She turned to me, but she has not answered me “, said this morning Magdalena Biron, the mother of Vanessa.

Criminal negligence

The 35 year old woman testified in the trial of Karim Jean-Gilles for criminal negligence causing bodily harm, which is taking place at the palais de justice de Longueuil.

In a poignant account, Ms. Biron has in detail told to the assault suffered by her eldest daughter.

The pitbull Ashes rushed on the little Vanessa, projecting it to the ground, while the bull mastiffs Jordan ran around them barking and growling aggressively. The mother of Mr. Jean-Gilles has attempted to put an end to the attack by striking the dog with a branch, in vain.

The eldest has also tried to protect the little girl in her dress, but the dog was still biting it, so that the child has crawled away.

It is at this time that the pit bull was bitten in the face and dragged over a distance of at least three metres.

Human shield

The mother of Vanessa is then thrown over his child as a human shield to protect it.

“It was very traumatic for me. I was trying to protect my oldest and I didn’t know where was my youngest,” she told sobbing to the judge Pierre Bélisle.

The violent assault was stopped when Karim Jean-Gilles arrived at the park and grabbed his pit bull by the legs to bring him home, 50 meters from the park.

The little Vanessa has kept many of the sequelae of the attack and she had to see several specialists for years.

In particular, it has been followed for a speech-language pathologist for a year to relearn how to smile.

The Crown prosecutor, Ms. Claudie Gilbert, intends to demonstrate to the judge Bélisle that the owner of the dogs has been proof of criminal negligence because he knew the potential dangerousness of his animals.

They had previously been involved in other violent events before.

Karim Jean-Gilles defends itself alone and do not cross-examine any witness until now.

The trial is scheduled for a duration of two days.