A woman who thought she would die as she was savaged by an out-of-control dog found a tooth “embedded” in her head days after the vicious attack.
Dana Mullen’s American Bulldog, Boston, left victim Lindsay Crossan in hospital for three days with wounds so severe she required an operation.
During the attack, Ms Crossan was left fearing for her life as she tried to crawl back to her front door, desperately screaming to her neighbours for help.
Mullen, 42, appeared via video-link at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday where she admitted being in charge of the dangerous animal.
Fiscal depute Christy Ward said the vicious attack took place on Thursday, June 25, outside a block of flats on Shapinsay Road, in the Sheddocksley area of the city.
“At 1.15pm Lindsay Crossan intended to take her dog outside into the communal garden before she was due to leave for work,” she said.
“As she left her flat and looked out of the back door, she could see that Boston was unattended in the garden and was not on a lead.
“On seeing Ms Crossan, Boston immediately began running towards her and her dog, and latched on to her dog’s tail.
“Upon being told ‘no’ numerous times, Boston let go of the dog, grabbed Ms Crossan by her ponytail with his mouth and pulled her to the ground.”
The dog shook the woman’s head by her ponytail from side to side, the court heard.
At this point Mullen appeared in the garden and shouted “oh my God, get off her”.
Rather than stopping the violent assault altogether, the dog targeted the woman’s right foot, moving its jaw in a “tearing motion”.
Miss Ward said: “Ms Crossan realised she was bleeding as Boston moved himself round, bit her left ankle and appeared to be trying to pull her into the landing.
“Boston then lost his grip of Ms Crossan’s ankle but snapped at her, tearing part of her heel.
“Thereafter he grabbed her upper right arm with his mouth.”
Ms Crossan later told police that her entire upper arm was in the dog’s mouth as she looked the animal “dead in the eye.”
Miss Ward added: “She did not think he was going to let go and thought she was going to die.”
The attack only stopped when Mullen’s daughter appeared in the landing.
After being taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Ms Crossan was found to have “multiple” puncture wounds and grazes on her feet.
She also had two 3cm wounds on her arm and a 1cm wound on the back of her head.
Mullen also pled guilty to a violent robbery where she used a pair of nail scissors – claiming they were a knife – to steal a woman’s handbag outside a palliative care unit.
At around 8.40am on August 6, the 42-year-old pulled a white mask over her face and targeted a woman standing at some traffic lights on Ashgrove Road near Roxburghe House.
Mullen put her arm around the woman’s neck and tried to grab her handbag, repeatedly saying “give me your bag, I’ve got a knife”.
She then pressed a pair of nail scissors into the handbag and made more threats, causing the woman to let go of it.
Mullen fled with the bag and its contents, worth around £200 altogether.
Miss Ward told the court Mullen, a prisoner at HMP Grampian, had previous convictions for threatening or abusive behaviour, and assault by threats and robbery.
She will be sentenced next month, when there will be a decision made on the dangerous dog.
