BAFTA award winner Juliet Aubrey who was in the BBC production Middlemarch and movies the Constant Gardener and Iris has discussed for the first time an incident in March 2012 when she was attacked by an Alsatian Police Dog while in her own home. Aubrey was alone in her London when she heard two burglars one of whom was shouting "Get the gun, get the gun." Fearful for her life she ran upstairs and hid under her daughter's bed. She phoned 999 while in hiding. After more than 30 minutes during which she states she was petrified and tried to "stay rigid…trying to stifle my sobbing, trying to stifle everything…my whole body was shaking" she heard police entering the house. Unbeknownst to her they had been outside the house within minutes of her call assessing how best to deal with the situation. Believing that her ordeal was over Aubrey says that her "relief was so total – just totally relaxed. I was sobbing, crying, relieved, and then laughing. I thought everything was going to be okay" unfortunately the police had taken the decision to lose an Alsatian Police dog into her house. The Alsatian came into the bedroom and seeing the actress under the bed sank his teeth into her leg and dragged her from out under the bed before biting her again on the calf of her left leg. As she tried to stand up the dog attacked again biting her right forearm, pulling her down to the carpet. Fearing that she was going to be pulled to the ground and have her throat torn she turned to see three police officers dressed in black staring at her. It was some 40 seconds before the handler came into the room and called the dog off. The Police have now apologised confirming that the handler had not been "diligent" when the Alsatian went out of his sight and to another floor of the house. Their 18 month investigation concluded that the force had "let her down" when the dog bit her. Officers gave conflicting accounts of what had happened with the handler saying he had not been told Aubrey was under the bed at the time. He now faces a disciplinary hearing while the dog has been "retired" after being injured in another incident. Aubrey was left not just with visible scars and a deep groove on her forearm but post traumatic stress disorder. She is now campaigning for better control of police dogs. "The dog was vicious and out of control and should not have been off its leash. Thank god, my children were not there. Imagine if it had been an old lady, someone who was disabled, or a baby in a cot, they would not have stood a chance." Solicitor James McNally who specialises in dog bite claims for Slee Blackwell solicitors says "Although the particular circumstances are unusual attacks by Police dogs are not uncommon and often it is a case that a completely innocent bystander who is in the wrong place, at the wrong time can suffer very nasty injuries. It is understood that the dogs are there to do a job but given the harm they can do it is vitally important that they are properly trained and handled. If a handler is not there to stop a dog attack or to control their movements then questions have to be asked."
Police apologise to award winning actress after dog attack leaves her “drenched in blood”