2:50pm Thursday 6th March 2008
By Craig Manning
A WOMAN who was bitten by a police dog outside a pub near her home is demanding an apology from the force.
Anne Yates told the Globe: "My fear is that this could have been an elderly man or pregnant woman who was hurt."
The 38-year-old single mum of two teenage sons had gone to Leasowe's Oyster Catcher pub with her 19-year-old son Terry, and left to go home just after midnight.
Outside she was approached by police officers responding to a disturbance outside the pub, invol-ving her other son, Danny.
The officers were accompanied by a dog which, according to Anne, "suddenly and without warning" lunged at her and bit her right arm an estimated seven times. It left her with bite marks and bruising all over her arm and in need of a tetanus injection.
Police say warnings were given.
"We were just having a laugh inside the pub and then I decided it was time to go home," Anne said.
"I turned round to see our Danny lying on the floor and all of a sudden this policeman turns up with a dog and told me to get out of the way. Suddenly the dog went mad and attacked me."
Anne was arrested for being drunk and disorderly and taken in handcuffs to a custody suite in Birkenhead, where she spent the next six hours, before being released and fined £80.
Anne, who has lived at her Cameron Road, Leasowe, home for 13 years, said: "My fear is that this could have been an elderly man or pregnant woman who was hurt. The policeman appeared from nowhere and there were no sirens.
"If I had done something wrong I would hold my hand up and admit it. But I didn't do anything, so I can't see why I was attacked.
"I've never telephoned the police before and wouldn't call them now even if I was in trouble.
"The police can't even say there was any trouble, it was just innocent people coming out of a pub.
"I'm not expecting compensation, but an apology from the police would be nice."
A Merseyside Police spokesman said: "In the early hours of Sunday, February 17, police came across a disturbance outside a pub on Twickenham Drive, Leasowe.
"During the arrest of a man outside the public house, a crowd gathered and a number of individuals attempted to interfere with the arrest.
"Verbal warnings were given to the crowd to disperse and that the police dog would be used if they did not. Unfortunately, that warning was not heeded. The crowd did not disperse and a member of the public was bitten on the arm. She was later arrested along with two others for being drunk and disorderly.
"A review was conducted following this incident to ensure the police response was not excessive. The officers acted in accordance to their training.
"The review upheld the decision of the officer to deploy the dog. If the woman would like to make a formal complaint this would be investigated thoroughly by police."
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