The tragic death of the woman from Neohorouda came to be added to two similar fatal incidents that occurred in recent years in Northern Greece and occupied public opinion.

On May Day 2016, in the area of ​​Kozani, a 5-year-old child was attacked by Rottweiler dogs in the courtyard of a residence where he was with his mother and company, celebrating Easter. The little boy was taken to “Mamatsio” Hospital where he finally succumbed to his injuries.

Recently the Court of Appeal of Kozani found the owner of the Rottweiler guilty giving him a redeemable sentence of 4 years in prison, while acquitting his wife. Despite claims from the 5-year-old’s side that the act should be upgraded to a felony, the court found him guilty of negligent homicide.

On March 6, 2020, in the midst of quarantine due to the coronavirus, a 65-year-old man was attacked by a pack of stray dogs while he was exercising in the Elaiorema area, in Pylaia, Thessaloniki. He was hospitalized for three weeks in the Intensive Care Unit of Hippocrates Hospital, where he finally breathed his last. His family has filed a lawsuit against everyone responsible to identify those responsible and bring criminal charges.

“To make civil insurance for large dogs mandatory”

On the occasion of the death of the 50-year-old, the lawyer Victor Tsilonis conveys through APE-MPE his proposal on the institution of compulsory civil insurance for large dogs(over 25-30 kg). As he points out, it is something that is already happening in other European countries, such as Germany for example.

“Compulsory civil dog insurance has only positives to offer” emphasizes Mr. Tsilonis and explains: “It will increase the sense of responsibility for all owners and will perform a critical guarantee function for the provision of monetary compensation to victims.”

The death of the 50-year-old

“Many times we saw the dogs coming out of the yard fence”. This testimony of a neighbor of the 50-year-old woman, who met a horrible death at noon last Sunday in Neohoroudaoutside of Thessaloniki, from an attack by three large dogs, seems to have been a “key” in the decision of the Prosecutor’s Office to prosecute the 37-year-old owner of the animals for manslaughter with possible intent, in the degree of a felony and to refer him to the 3rd ordinary investigator, where he is asked to give explanations today.

According to information, the legal basis for the felony charge was given by a decision of the Supreme Court which upheld the conviction of a dog owner for causing grievous bodily harm to a pedestrianjudging that the specific act was carried out with potential fraud – because he did not take the appropriate safeguarding measures even though he knew that the animal was dangerous – thus accepting the risk that finally took place.

The defense of the 37-year-old accused by Neohorouda spoke of “legal error”, arguing that the charge should be treated in its misdemeanor form as negligent homicide. Transferring his master’s position, he reported that the dogs had never shown aggressive behavior and were trained. As for the crucial issue of how they escaped from the fence of the 37-year-old’s yard, he – through his lawyer – stated that on that day the animals opened a small hole in the wire fence, about 30 centimetersfrom where they escaped, without him realizing the slightest thing.

This claim, however, seems to be refuted by the neighbor’s testimony, which he carried both during the preliminary police investigation and before the investigator who is handling the case and called him yesterday for an examination. The witness pointed out that “we often saw the dogs walking around outside”which means that the described hole existed from an earlier period of time.

The 50-year-old mother of two children, who according to the forensic findings he received more than fifty bites all over his body and headsuccumbed to the attack, specifically in the yard of her house, where she was doing gardening work.

Her family is expected to testify at the inquest in support of the charge.