Mum of baby mauled to death by pitbull pleads guilty to being in charge of banned dog

A MUM whose baby girl was mauled to death by a pitbull has today pleaded guilty to being in charge of a banned  dog.

Tragic Molly-Mae Wotherspoon died from severe blood loss caused by head wounds after she was savaged by the family pet Bruiser.

Her mother Claire Riley, 23, had previously denied being in charge of a dangerously out of control beast which mauled little Molly-Mae so viciously she died of her injuries.

But she changed her plea to guilty on the first day of her trial at Northampton Crown Court yesterday - just days after her mum Susan Aucott, 55, admitted the same charge.

They will be sentenced at the same court tomorrow and face a maximum of two years in behind bars.

Riley's killer American pit bull was described as "the most aggressive dog" a vet had ever seen which saw tragic Molly-Mae "as prey."

Prosecutor Derek Johashen said: "The issue of the aggressive nature of the dog is not in dispute, it is the knowledge of it.

"Susan Aucott has claimed the dog was effectively jealous of the child.

"The crown's position is the grounds of the charge is having an aggressive dog, knowing that its aggressive nature and having it in the home of a child.

"Whether it was jealous does not matter, and we are not in a position to be able to prove that.

"On the issue of Aucott's long standing problem with alcohol, Riley did not believe her mother to have been drinking [on the night of the attack].

"But sober or not, the mother would not have been capable of dealing with that dog."

Aucott, of Alfred Street, Northampton, was looking after Molly-Mae at Riley's former home in Morning Star Road, Daventry, Northants., when Bruiser attacked the tot at 10.30pm on October 3, 2014.

Molly-Mae was rushed to Northampton General Hospital but died of her injuries. Aucott also sustained injuries trying to fight off the dog.

The animal, which was put down at the scene, was an American pit bull - banned in the UK since the early 90s under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

In October 2014, senior coroner for Northamptonshire, Anne Pember, said the family paid the "ultimate price" for owning the outlawed breed.

Riley, of Merrydale Square, Northampton, and Aucott had previously denied being in charge of a dangerous dog.

She had failed to attend court on three previous occasions claiming she was suffering an "anxiety disorder."

An earlier hearing revealed the prosecution had made a bad character application against Aucott on the grounds that she had owned another banned breed of dog.

Daventry District Council admitted they were called to Riley's former home in Morning Star Road five months before Molly-Mae's death after complaints about her dogs but no further action was taken.

In a statement released by police at the time, the family said they were "totally devastated" by Molly-Mae's death.

They said: "The family wish to say at this point that we are totally devastated and in complete shock for the tragic loss of our little princess and ask that we are left alone to grieve at this horrific time."

At the time of being charged Superintendent Andy Cox, from Northamptonshire

Police, said: "This has been a very lengthy and challenging investigation.

"These incidents are extremely rare and it is the first time in Northamptonshire that someone has been charged with this offence.

"This incident has had tragic consequences for the family that has not ended with the death of the child.

"The events of that night were also extremely distressing for the police officers and paramedics who attended the scene and who showed great professionalism in trying to save Molly-Mae's life."

In 2012, Riley posed with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy she claimed was addicted to eating her computers.

The then 19-year-old told how 11-month-old Pups had wreaked £1,500 of damage in her flat in Northampton by destroying two laptops, a mobile phone, TV wires and even an arm chair.