Man charged after beloved grandmother killed by two dogs who got into her garden through gap in fence
20 March 2023, 17:18
A man has been charged after an 85-year-old grandmother was mauled to death by two dogs.
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Lucille Downer, 85, was attacked by a pair of American bulldogs while she was in the back garden of her home in Rowley Regis, near Birmingham, in April 2021.
The dogs escaped from a neighbouring home using a hole in the fence.
She endured a number of injuries in a "sustained" attack. Both dogs were destroyed after the attack.
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Darren Pritchard has been charged with being the owner or person in charge of two dogs dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death.
Pritchard, 44, of Smethwick, is also charged with possessing cannabis with intent to supply and the production of cannabis.
He is due in Dudley Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Lucille’s devastated family previously said: "Lucille was a mother, grandmother and great- grandmother who spent her working years as a cook at Bromford House Care Home in West Bromwich.
"Lucille was born in Jamaica and emigrated to the UK in her early 20s.
"Since arriving in the UK, Rowley Regis has always been her home and her family will miss her dearly."
