Police dog shot dead in Lancashire previously attacked innocent woman
Lancashire Police have reportedly settled a legal claim with a woman who suffered serious injuries after she was mauled by PD Jax – the out-of-control police dog shot dead by officers after attacking his handler last week.
At around 5.15am last Thursday (August 3), police were searching for a missing person in a field off Higher Walton Road, near the River Darwen in Walton-le-Dale.
During the search, police dog Jax, a 7-year-old Malinois, suddenly became aggressive and turned on his handler, biting the officer and causing her serious leg injuries.
Further patrols – including armed officers – rushed to the scene and attempts were made to restrain the out-of-control dog. But Jax couldn’t be controlled and continued to pose a threat to the injured officer and her colleagues.
After evaluating the risk to officers and the public, PD Jax was shot dead at the scene and the injured handler was taken to Royal Preston Hospital for treatment.
Supt Hassan Khan, of Lancashire Police, said: “This is never an easy decision for any officer to take, but police have a duty to act where necessary before any further injury is caused, whether to officers, or members of the public. We would never put anyone at risk of further harm.
“These are highly trained, working dogs which do a skilled job, but like any dog can present a danger in certain circumstances.”
The force added that an investigation into the incident would take place to try and understand how the handler lost control over Jax and why he reacted the way he did.
PD Jax and his handler respond to incidents right across the county.
Jax mauled another woman and wouldn’t let go
However, it wasn’t the first time the police dog had attacked and seriously injured an innocent person while being deployed.
In October 2019, PD Jax was released at the scene of a car crash and reportedly attacked a woman without warning.
According to James McNally, the woman’s solicitor, Jax failed to obey his handler’s commands to release her and caused serious injuries to her upper leg.
She was taken to hospital by ambulance and underwent surgery, followed by a second operation two days later. She was in hospital for five nights and was left with permanent scars and psychological trauma.
Mr McNally, one of the UK’s leading dog bite solicitors, said Lancashire Police refused to acknowledge that PD Jax had acted unreasonably and that his handler had failed to adequately control him.
Court proceedings were issued against the force in February this year but an offer of settlement was not accepted – that is, until PD Jax was shot dead for mauling his handler last week.
Within hours of the Jax being shot, Lancashire Police agreed to settle the woman’s claim.
What caused Jax to attack?
Mr McNally, of Dog Bite Solicitors, said: “The tragic news of the shooting of Police Dog Jax by Lancashire Police shocked everyone, but none more so then my client who was bitten by Jax back in 2019.
"My client was a passenger in a car which struck a pylon late at night. She and her boyfriend were making their way across a field to a friend’s house to get help when the police arrived and PD Jax was ‘deployed’ off lead.
"My client always maintained that PD Jax attacked her without warning, when she was completely still and that PD Jax refused to obey commands to release.
"She always said that neither she or her boyfriend knew it was a police dog that was attacking her until after the event.
"My client sustained serious injuries to her upper leg. She was taken to hospital by ambulance and underwent surgery and then had another operation two days later.
"She was in hospital for five nights and was left with permanent scars and psychological injuries.
“My client was never charged with any crime. The police did, however, try and unsuccessfully prosecute her boyfriend with “causing unnecessary suffering to an animal” for his attempts to try and get PD Jax to let go of my client. Her boyfriend was acquitted.
“Given the way the police dealt with PD Jax on the day he was shot, it’s this element of the case more than anything I keep coming back to.
“The police denied any responsibility. In their view, PD Jax was properly trained, posed no risk to anyone and was properly deployed. They accepted that PD Jax hadn’t immediately released but their explanation for this as per their defence.
"They claimed my client added to the problem because she was covering Jax’s nose with her hand in an attempt to push him off whilst screaming and writhing around on the floor.”
Concerns raised over Jax’s training and bite history
Mr McNally added: "All police dogs have a bite history which records all previous bites. As part of our investigations I have seen PD Jax’s bite history. I have seen his training records. I have discussed them in detail with a former police dog trainer and expert witness.
"We had enough concerns regarding issues with his training and previous incidences that court proceedings against the police were issued and served in February.
"We also made an offer to settle. The police maintained their denial. On the day Jax was shot, my client made me aware of the news and I emailed the police asking for confirmation this was the same dog and asking for disclosure relating to the incident.
"That was at 2pm. At 8pm the police emailed accepting the offer to settle we’d made weeks ago. My client was bitten in October 2019. Just hours after PD Jax was killed the police settled her claim.
"It was the outcome my client deserved but not in the way that any one of us would have wanted.
"I suspect there’s an awful lot of bad behaviour you can excuse when you’ve spent hundreds of hours and thousands of pounds on creating your police dog.
"But the injuries caused by police dogs are horrific. Alsatians, German Shepherds, Malinois are all big powerful dogs with big powerful jaws.
"There seems to be a view that the end justifies the means. That if you chose to run (or in the case of my client, sit absolutely still) you deserve everything you get. But when I’m looking at a photo of a woman with her calf muscle missing, I do wonder.
"Police dog handlers will talk of their bond with the dog but when a police dog is seen as a pet, as a loved one, as a member of the family rather than as a policing tool – for me it becomes a problem.
"Like all dog owners you will always seek to excuse behavior, ignore warning signs, forgive and look the other way. The problem is compounded when you consider the time, effort and money that has been spent on training these dogs.”
Lancashire Police were approached for comment.