Woman thought she was going to die after mauling by pitbull in Mayo

A WOMAN who was mauled by an out of control Bullmastiff Pitbull cross dog while walking with her son in Mount Falcon thought she was going to die as it went for her neck.

Sandra Killeen made the comments during a victim impact statement given at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court after she was attacked by the dog which was owned by David Barrett (41) of Ballymacredmond, Ballina on November 20, 2022.

Mr Barrett pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Ms Killeen despite denying to Gardaí that the dog was his and later claiming he was looking after it for someone else.

The court heard that Ms Killeen (54) was walking her own dog with her nine-year-old son in the Mount Falcon Woods at around 3.30pm when the Bullmastiff Pitbull came towards them and started sniffing and growling at her dog.

The Bullmastiff Pitbull was unaccompanied and not on a leash and Ms Killeen decided to pick up her own dog and leave the area. However, the dog lunged at her and knocked her over and proceeded to maul her resulting in her suffering a number of injuries. She was saved when her son flagged down a passing car and a man managed to beat off the dog with a stick before grabbing hold of it and tying it up.

Emergency surgery

Ms Killeen was brought to Mayo University Hospital before being transferred to Galway where she underwent emergency surgery and was released three days later. She suffered severe injuries both physical and psychological and does not have the full function in one arm since the attack.

In her victim impact statement, Ms Killeen described the attack as both 'terrifying and traumatic' and despite trying to fight back, the dog was too strong for her.

“At one stage weakened and overwhelmed I looked up at the sky and truly believed I was going to die. The attack was relentless and the dog was going for my neck when a brave passerby intervened, beating the dog away with a stick. Their actions saved my life and I am deeply grateful as the attack came terrifying close to being fatal,” she said.

Ms Killeen recalled the pain being excruciating and she sustained puncture wounds, intense bruising and severe lacerations to her left and right arm, chest, back, right thing and groin. She was also informed by her surgeon that she was lucky not to lose her left arm and as a result she has restricted mobility in it.

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She informed Judge Eoin Garavan that the emotional and psychological affects of that day have been profound and she is a former shell of herself.

“I flinch when I see a dog, big or small but especially a black dog. When I hear a dog bark it triggers overwhelming feelings of panic as memories of that day come flooding back,” he added.

Ms Killeen said that her son has had nightmares after witnessing the attack and believed she was dead when she stopped screaming.

Healing process

She said that she cannot put into words the trauma of knowing that he believed his mother had died and the healing process for her has been long and difficult.

Detective Garda Eamhair Brosnan told the court that later that evening she went to the home of Mr Barrett and he said the dog was his and his name was Diesel and he had gone missing. When she cautioned him about the attack he replied that the dog is a pet and he attacked no one and it was the dog he attacked.

The following day she visited him again to sign paperwork to allow for the destruction of the dog and he replied that he did not know what she was talking about and asked what evidence she had that the dog was his. Det Garda Brosnan said that on December 2 a blood sample was taken from the dog and on December 16 he searched Mr Barrett's home and seized items related to dog related material.

The material was tested in London and the DNA taken from a dog bowel and collar from Mr Barrett's home matched that of the destroyed dog.

Phone seized

Gardaí also seized a phone and discovered Whatsapp messages between Mr Barrett and his son where the dog was discussed on the evening of the attack.

Mr Barrett had initially been charged with endangerment but later pleaded guilty to assault causing harm.

The court heard that Mr Barrett has 33 previous convictions including one for assault causing harm, three assault convictions and one for violent disorder.

Ms Áine Boyle, counsel for Mr Barrett, said his client wished to apologise to Ms Killeen for a horrific incident and also wished to apologise to Garda Brosnan for the way he behaved during the investigation.

She said that Mr Barrett has been in custody on remand for 15 months and he has engaged in AA meetings and has taken part in the alternative to violence programme.

Further charges

In a separate matter, the court heard that Mr Barrett also pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Garda Sandra Rooney and assault to Garda Laura Shevlin who attended to a disturbance at his property on July 16, 2024.

Sergeant Shane Prendergast informed the court that Mr Barrett's son, Conor had reported that his father had been taking cocaine and was hysterical in the house and sought garda assistance.

The two gardaí were dispatched and arrived at the gate at around 2.15am and met with Conor Barrett when David Barrett arrived and shouted abuse. He pushed the gate violently in an attempt to hit them and then charged at both gardaí. He pushed Garda Rooney and then punched her twice with a closed fist into the chest area and also spat on her arm.

Both gardaí returned to the garda station in Ballina and returned with other gardaí to arrest him and the ASU had to be called to assist them.

Sgt Prendergast said he observed Mr Barrett emerge from his house bare chested and was irate and was under the influence of intoxication. He said Mr Barrett claimed he would set dogs on the gardaí if they came on his property.

When the ASU arrived at the scene a search took place but they could not locate Mr Barrett. Two days later he produced himself at Ballina Garda Station where he was questioned but Sgt Prendergast said he was abusive during the interview and made the gardaí out to be liars while he was the victim.

Sgt Prendergast said that since the incident Garda Shevlin has resigned from An Garda Siochána and Garda Rooney has been unable to return to work.

Mr Barrett took to the stand where he apologised for his behaviour but denied that he was taking drugs on the night. He said at the time he felt he was 'losing the plot' and was turning to drink and accepted he had destroyed people's lives. He said it broke his heart to hear what the dog did to Ms Killeen.

He said since he went into custody he has engaged in education and found the AA good help and was working in horticulture. He said he felt he needed structure in his life and stated he would rather lose his life than remain in prison.

Judge Garavan said Mr Barrett is going to face a significant custodial sentence and commented that 'one thug and his dog' comes to mind when he thinks of his behaviour.

He remanded Mr Barrett into custody for the preparation of a probation report for sentencing on February 20.

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