The teacher of a Bradford girl left scarred for life by a dog attack today branded the Dangerous Dogs Act "impotent" after she was badly mauled by a Rottweiler.

Sue Brown, 58, suffered serious injuries to her right arm when she was attacked by the dog which had been left off its lead in Heaton Woods, Bradford.

She said the ordeal had given her flashbacks to the horrendous attack on Rucksana Khan 15 years ago which led directly to the Act being introduced by the then Conservative Government.

"What happened to me has brought back terrible memories of the day I heard that little Rucksana was fighting for her life in hospital," said Mrs Brown, who taught at Green Lane Primary School, Manningham, where Rucksana, then six, was a pupil.

"The injuries on my arm are like the ones her tiny little body was covered in.

"The law is impotent. It has changed nothing. We need to call for the Act to be revisited to make sure that we can prevent this type of attack.

"We have a personal duty in Bradford to ensure that the Act protects children from future attack because of what happened to Rucksana."

Mrs Brown, of Woodville Place, Heaton, was walking near Renold Wood when she was attacked by the dog.

She said: "I go for early-morning walks there every day; it is a beautiful place. I saw a Rottweiler off its lead heading towards me on the path. The owner of the dog called to me Don't worry, he only wants to give you a big hug' but I was afraid because I am nervous around certain types of dogs."

Mrs Brown recalled the terrifying moment the dog pounced on her.

She said: "The dog started growling ferociously and then it was attacking me. I was just screaming in agony, I could not believe the pain I was experiencing. I could feel blood running down my arm."

Mrs Brown said the owner just walked off with the dog. She said: "I am still shocked and appalled that the dog owner could leave me there without offering help. For all he knew anything could have happened to me after that."

She was seen by another walker and taken to the nearby home of a friend who called the police and took her to hospital.

Mrs Brown, chairman of the Heaton Woods Trust which owns part of the land, said: "We put signs up six months ago requesting that people keep their dogs on leads. If this man had observed the notices this would not have happened."

Bradford West MP Marsha Singh today said: "Dogs can be very dangerous weapons and attacks such as the one on Mrs Brown should be treated by the police as an assault.

"The Act was rushed in as a knee-jerk reaction to the tragic incident of Rucksana. It does need to be re-visited and I shall be looking into what work needs to be done to make it more effective."

Terry Singh, the city's dog warden service manager, also believed the Act needed re-working.

He said: "It should include all breeds of dogs rather than just named ones because potentially all dogs can be dangerous.

"It should also make dog owners even more accountable for the actions of their dogs."

Rucksana was attacked by a pit bull terrier as she played with a group of children outside her school in Wood Street, Manningham, in May 1991.

The pit bull broke free from a 21-year-old woman and grabbed the girl in its jaws and savaged her until it was beaten off by a group of men using a stick and a lump of paving stone.

There have also been several other recent dog attacks in the Bradford area.

A man was injured and his Yorkshire terrier killed in Stockbridge, Keighley, when they were attacked by rottweilers last month. The dogs' owner has been summonsed to appear in court.

Judy Audaer was attacked by a Japanese akita in Heaton last August and Bradford magistrates also ordered that an alsatian-akita cross be destroyed after it scarred a nine-year-old girl for life in June last year.

Police are investigating the latest attack.

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