Charge pitbull owners with manslaughter

A MAN and his son are to be charged by police with manslaughter in the death of 77-year-old Chandrawattie Beera, who was attacked and mauled earlier this year by two pitbulls belonging to the men. Beera died on June 23, one day after the pitbulls jumped the fence at the woman’s home and attacked her while she was gardening in her backyard. Instructions to charge the men were reportedly given by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Geoffrey Henderson and police will proceed by way of warrants against the men.

This is the first time since the Dangerous Dogs Act became law in 2000, that criminal charges are being laid under this legislation. The Dangerous Dogs Act of 2000 states that where a dangerous dog kills a person or causes the death of a person, the owner of the said dog is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $200,000 and to imprisonment for ten years. (Chapt 17 - section 2 - Dangerous Dogs Act of 2002). The Act also outlined in clear terms the types of dogs the law deemed to be dangerous. According to Section Three of the Act, Dangerous Dogs were identified as Pitbull Terrier; Fila Brasileiro and the Japanese Tosa. The dogs which mauled Beera were pitbulls. The file was returned to Senior Superintendent Nevin Wilson, Head of the Central Division last week, with instructions from DPP Henderson to issue warrants for the arrest of the two men.

Checks yesterday revealed that the warrants have already been prepared and will be executed sometime next week by acting Cpl Terrence Williams, who is the investigator in the matter. Snr Supt Wilson, when contacted by Newsday, said the file was returned to him with instructions to issue the warrants on a charge of manslaughter. Snr Supt Wilson added that the warrants would be executed shortly. When Newsday visited the house where Beera lived it was occupied by tenants. Beera had been tending to her kitchen garden at the back of her Central home around 3 pm on June 22, when she was attacked by the dogs. Eyewitnesses to the incident chopped and killed one of the dogs while the other was taken out of the area by its owner. Keron Lett, one of the men who went to Beera’s assistance, said he climbed over the gate and started beating the dogs as they continued to attack the elderly woman. One of the dogs was stabbed with a pitch-fork.

She was rushed to the Chaguanas Health Centre and transferred to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where she later died. On June 26, Beera was cremated after a funeral service at her home. Police officers carried out investigations into the mauling death, and in early July the file was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions. The file contained statements from eyewitnesses, statements from the owners of the pitbulls and the autopsy report which listed the mass injuries suffered by Beera. This is the first time that someone is being prosecuted under the Dangerous Dogs Act in this country. Former Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj produced legislation intended to ban the breeding and keeping of these fearsome animals in Trinidad and Tobago. The Dangerous Dogs Bill was passed in Parliament four years ago, but had not been implemented. Before passage of the Dangerous Dogs Bill at least two people were killed by marauding pitbulls and several were seriously injured.