Hero dog who was left fighting for life after burglar repeatedly stabbed it helps put crook behind bars
Five-year-old Shar Pei Boo was knifed by thief Shaan Malik with such ferocity her skull was fractured and one of her ears completely sliced off
A BRAVE dog who was left fighting for her life after being viciously attacked by a burglar has helped put the crook behind bars.
Boo, a five-year-old Shar Pei, was repeatedly knifed after trying to defend her owner’s Manchester home from thief Shaan Malik, who had broken in.
But the hero dog has bounced back and played its own part in bringing the burglar to justice.
Manchester Crown Court heard how Malik, 24, stabbed Boo repeatedly and with such ferocity he fractured her skull and ripped one of her ears off completely.
In the attack, she nipped Malik on the finger, causing him to bleed as he ransacked householder Maggie Burgess’ bedroom.
A drop of blood on a glasses case he handled provided officers with the DNA sample that placed him at the scene.
Now Malik, of Whalley Range, Manchester has been jailed after he admitted burglary and a separate offence of handling military memorabilia taken in another break-in.
He was blasted by Judge Richard Mansell QC as he was sent down for three years and nine months – as much as the guidelines, the circumstances, and his guilty plea would allow.
At 8pm on March 19 householder Maggie, 57, came back from visiting friends to find her home ransacked, cash and personal effects missing, her closest companion terribly injured and the house looking like a ‘murder scene’.
Thankfully, Boo survived, although she may yet lose her sight and suffer seizures as she ages.
News of the crime went global after Maggie revealed her and Boo’s ordeal in March this year. Wellwishers set up a Facebook page in her honour with 4,000 members, and the dog has received gifts from as far away as Australia. While the loveable dog has made a good physical recovery, she now needs anti-depressants.
The sentencing hearing was told Malik comes from a decent family, but had gone off the rails after developing a cannabis problem.
In a rare, touching courtroom scene, his relatives apologised to Maggie and her supporters, who gave them each a hug after he was sent down.
Judge Mansell told Malik: “You appear to me to demonstrate little or no remorse for this offence.
“The truth is, Shaan Malik, you are a dishonest young man who will stop short of nothing to steal valuable property.
“You have also demonstrated a nasty violent streak, you attacked this poor dog, inflicting these injuries.
“You’re the only member of your family to take this path in life.
“I have to say, they have my every sympathy.”
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