A woman suffered “life-changing injuries” after being attacked by a police dog outside an illegal rave in the outskirts of Bristol on Halloween evening. Avon and Somerset police have referred the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for investigation.
Police arrived to disperse the gathering at 10:30 PM, after it had gone on for roughly 24 hours, as it violated restrictions imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19. They cleared the event, seized a generator, and arrested eight people, according to The Independent. Attendee Jessica Mae Andrew said she was still dancing at the time the dog bit her leg and ankle completely without warning.
“The officers opened their wall of shields up slightly and the next minute the dog was mauling the top of my leg,” Andrew told The Guardian. “My leg is totally a different shape now as it pulled so much fat from the top.”
Andrew suffered a bone fragment and must undergo skin and muscle grafts as part of her reconstructive surgery. She has said that her next surgery isn’t until next year, and that she’s unable to access her home on a boat because of the injuries.
“We referred a dog bite incident involving a member of the public that occurred in Yate on Sunday, November 1st to the IOPC,” said an Avon and Somerset police spokesperson. “The IOPC adjudged the matter was suitable to be investigated locally by Avon and Somerset police. That process is ongoing and will include reviewing body-worn footage. Our final report will be provided to the IOPC.”
Avon and Somerset Chief Constable Andy Marsh said that “really significant violence” was directed towards police officers who showed up to break up the rave. “We have many hours of body-worn video footage of the violence, threats and intimidation used towards police officers,” he said during a Facebook Live statement. “There were missiles thrown, bottles, punches, kicks, fireworks fired at officers.”
The dog attack nonetheless adds weight to concerns that instances of U.K. police violence has risen amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Liberty Investigates reports that from April to June 2020 police have used force 12.5% more times than they did in the same period of 2019 despite crime rates falling by 19% on account of people spending more time at home.
Jessica Mae Andrew has said that she plans to pursue legal action against the police. “I want to stop this happening to anyone else ever again in the future,” she said. “An attack dog is a horrific weapon. Bringing a dog like that into the building was completely inappropriate.”
Image credit: Baptiste MG
