West Donegal schoolboy gets €15,000 after dog attack

A young boy who was attacked by a dog after he went to fetch a ball from a neighbour's garden has been awarded more than €15,000.

The boy suffered a number of injuries after he was set upon by the dog following the frightening incident in West Donegal in October, 2019.

The boy, who is now 11-years-old, was not present in court but was represented by his barrister Ms Patricia McCallum BL.

Ms McCallum appeared at Letterkenny Circuit Court to outline a settlement offer which had been made to the child's family following the incident.

She briefly outlined the case and told how the boy had suffered a number of injuries.

These included a laceration underneath his chin as well as a scar to his arm.

The court was told that the scar beneath the boy's chin was now no longer visible. However, the scar to his arm, which measures 2.2cm, is still visible.

The boy was assessed and then reassessed a number of weeks later by a local GP.

Ms McCallum said the boy had also suffered psychological trauma as a result of the attack.

“He was anxious and shocked for a few weeks after the attack and remained fearful and was unable to sleep if he heard a dog barking next door,” Ms McCallum added.

She said the boy's family were happy to accept the offer which had been made.

Judge John Aylmer said the incident was at the lower end of the scale of such incidents. Judge Aylmer approved the settlement of €15,010 and awarded Ms McCallum her costs.