The ‘Good Samaritan’ was mauled by a ‘possessed’ dog called Menace as she rushed to help a seven-year-old girl
The ‘Good Samaritan’ was mauled by a ‘possessed’ dog called Menace as she rushed to help a seven-year-old girl
A nurse was having a “duvet day” while off sick when she heard “blood-curdling screams” moments before she was mauled by a “possessed” dog called Menace. The Staffordshire bull terrier launched a vicious assault on a seven-year-old girl, who was playing in the street with a friend, after escaping from Lee Johnston’s home while he was showering, leaving the youngster scarred and requiring surgery.
The grandad had previously taken ownership of the dog from his son after it attempted to attack another child. Neighbours hurled bricks at the “powerful” and “obviously dangerous” dog as they tried to end the harrowing incident. However, the Staffy then attacked a second victim, a “Good Samaritan” who had bravely rushed to the little girl’s aid.
Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday, Thursday, that Menace had been owned by Johnston’s son Rhys Halewood, but, on May 29, 2025, the dad had been placed in charge of the dog at the 55-year-old’s home on Dulas Green in Kirkby. Shortly before 6pm on that date, the girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was playing in the street with a friend when residents heard them screaming and being chased by the escaped pet.
Andy Scott, prosecuting, detailed how one woman was able to grab hold of the second child and pull her to safety over a garden gate before launching bricks at Menace as he began to attack the other youngster on the ground. After eventually releasing the girl, another neighbour, 22-year-old nurse Ellie Woods, came to her aid.
But the dog then turned on her and continued its attack before her dad, Bernard, “bravely intervened” and restrained it. He was then assisted by another member of the public who used a crate in order to contain Menace, who was later destroyed, until police arrived at the scene.
The girl was rushed to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital after sustaining a series of gruesome bites to her calf, thigh, feet and hands, several of which left tissue and bone exposed. She subsequently underwent two operations before being discharged on June 2, though she continues to receive treatment in order to reduce the visibility of her scars.
In a statement which was read to the court on his behalf, the girl’s dad said: “Prior to the attack, she was a very confident young girl, and she was happy to be around dogs. Since the incident, she is nervous of strange dogs and panics if we’re out and a dog comes near.
“The attack has changed her. She no longer plays out If she sees friends, it will be inside the house. As a family, we have to consider where we go on days out. If there are dogs, we know this will have an effect on her. Only time will tell what lasting effects it will have on her. As of now, she is still traumatised about the attack.”
Ms Woods, meanwhile, attended Aintree Hospital with bites to her thigh, arm and stomach, also being left with scarring as a result. In her own statement, she said: “The day the incident happened, I’d called in sick from work and had been having a duvet afternoon when we heard screams. I instantly went to the window due to the blood-curdling screams, the type that makes hairs stand on end.”
Having seen the dog being restrained following the initial attack, Ms Woods added: “I thought I would be ok to help the young girl. It felt as quickly as it stopped pulling on the girl; it was already on me, trying to drag me down to the floor. I was in danger and fearful for my life. The dog was acting as if it were possessed.
“I had to take a month off work because I was trying to physically recover and process what’s happened to me. I’m still trying to process it. Since that day, I’ve not felt safe. Safety has been replaced by fear and anxiety. I spend many nights crying myself back to sleep.
“Seeing the scars on my body every day is a painful reminder of what happened, but knowing I only have these wounds because I dared to help a young girl. I only get to look at them every day because my dad and sister were brave enough to help. Had they not, I fear what would have happened to me.
“What happened that day is one of the most terrifying things that has happened in my life. Even though it was only a few minutes, it felt like hours.”
Back at the scene, Johnston confirmed to officers that he had been “looking after the dog on behalf of his son”. When interviewed the following day, he told detectives in a prepared statement that his “main concern was for the health and welfare” of the injured woman and child.
Johnston added that he had been “doing a favour” after being “asked to mind” the dog while off sick from work but “had to spend a lot of time in the shower due to a stomach disorder”. It was while he was showering that he then left the back door of his home open in order to allow Menace access to his “secure garden”, but he added: “I don’t know how the dog escaped. I’m speculating that high winds might have caused damage to the gate or fencing.”
Johnston went on to state that he “immediately rushed to the scene to prevent anything else from happening” upon discovering that the dog had escaped. During a further interview, he described how he “felt sick about it” and “felt distraught”, labelling the events as “the worst possible thing that could have happened”.
The defendant also disclosed how his son’s partner did not want Menace to remain in their house, as she was “scared for their children and newborn,” after which he was “begged to take the dog.” He has 17 previous convictions for 45 offences but none since 2012.
Suzanne Payne, defending, told the court: “He appreciates, to some degree, the effect that the dog attack has had. He cannot fully appreciate it, because none of us can. None of us have been through what they have.
“He had taken the dog to prevent injury to his son’s young family. He accepts that he did not take sufficient precautions to ensure other people’s safety. Mr Johnston is remorseful for what happened on the 29th of May last year. He takes full responsibility for the injuries and trauma caused to [the girl], Ms Woods and their families.
“This is a tragic, isolated incident of this dog escaping. He is a father and grandfather. He cannot even imagine what the victims and their families went through and are still going through. He does have previous convictions, but none are of a similar nature, and his last conviction was in 2012 and, prior to that, in 2004, some 21 years ago. He is, in my submission, of positive character, despite those previous convictions.”
Ms Payne went on to outline how Johnston had been employed as a night security officer at Anfield Stadium prior to the dog attack, having worked offshore in Scotland and the Netherlands earlier in his working career. She added: “He worked around the world as a crane operator and then returned to the UK permanently in 2021.
“It was then that he obtained the job as a security officer with that firm until this offence, when he lost his licence. He does have prospects of work in future.”
Johnston was said to be due to begin training next month for a potential new role with G4S, with Ms Payne saying of this: “Once employed, he would be a football steward, travelling between local grounds in the north west. He does have medical issues. He had been in the shower due to pain he was experiencing with his stomach. He has now been diagnosed with stomach ulcer issues.
“He took the dog in an attempt to help his son, who had been given an ultimatum regarding the dog’s behaviour in the home. That has sadly turned into the tragedy which the court has heard.”
Johnston admitted two counts of being in charge of a dangerously out-of-control dog causing injury, with a further charge of production of cannabis, relating to three plants which were seized from his home following the incident, ordered to lie on the file. Appearing in the dock wearing a white shirt and black tie, he was jailed for 27 months.
One woman gasped as he was locked up before leaving the courtroom in floods of tears. Sentencing, Judge Stuart Driver KC said: “The background is important here. You knew that this dog, named Menace, was a powerful animal that was obviously dangerous, in particular to children, because you knew that your son’s partner was so concerned for the safety of their children that she gave him an ultimatum to get it out of the house.
“Your impression was that your son did not trust the dog near anybody, and, while you were holding a child in your arms, you actually saw the dog try to attack that child. You failed to respond to warnings or concerns expressed by others about the dog’s behaviour, and there was a lack of safety or control measures when an incident could have reasonably been foreseen.
“You left the dog loose in the garden outside while you were inside, unaware of what it was doing. The photographs show horrible injuries to a little girl of seven years of age. She has had two operations and faces further laser treatment to reduce the scarring.
“The adult victim was a Good Samaritan, a brave woman who came to the rescue of the child. Her physical injuries have left scarring, but her trauma has led to her having counselling, and the events continue to have a substantial ongoing impact on her life. The horrible incident also is having a significant ongoing effect on a number of witnesses, including people who bravely became involved in the shocking scene.
“In mitigation, yours is an unusual record. You are far from of previous good character, with multiple previous convictions, but they were many years ago. You have hardly been in trouble for the last 20 years, and references speak of the good recent employment record that you have lost because of this incident.
“You are in poor physical health. You have expressed your remorse. I take into account the current prison conditions. I have been asked to suspend the sentence. The sentence is too long for that. Even if it weren’t, I would be satisfied that appropriate punishment could only be achieved by immediate custody.”
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