A local woman has been fined £720 after her dog bit a 10-month-old child – causing permanent scarring. 

The dog bit the baby on the leg, resulting in a large gash that required specialist treatment at a hospital in Malaga, Spain.

The incident happened at around 2.30pm on the 7th October 2023 in the area of the Mid Harbour Estate – by the entrance to Small Boats Marina.

At the Magistrates’ Court last Friday, Marsha Sbaa, 45, of the Mid Harbour Estate, pleaded guilty to one charge of Dog Not Kept Under Proper Control.

The news follows a previous incident on the 5th of March last year, when the same dog lunged towards a child, causing it minor injuries. For this other offence, Sbaa also pleaded guilty and was fined £150.

In the most recent incident, the court heard that the victim was in her father’s arms at the time, as they were speaking to Sbaa in relation to her dogs.

The victim’s father had asked her if it was fine to interact with the dogs, to which she stated that it was, and as the victim’s father stood up after interacting with the dogs, one of the dogs jumped up and bit the girl on the leg.

Sbaa then failed to restrain the dog, which resulted in a large gash to her leg requiring surgery.

The child was rushed to Saint Bernard’s Hospital, where the girl’s parents were advised that she would need to be transferred to hospital in Spain for specialist treatment. She received 21 stitches and has been left with permanent scarring.

RGP Response Team officers attended SBH where they took an account of the incident, before arresting Sbaa on the 9th of October.

Following an RGP investigation, she was charged for the offence.