Father faces jail for owning out-of-control racing husky which mauled his baby daughter to death: Dangerous dog called Blizzard jumped out of van and attacked three-month-old while she was in her pram – as girl’s mother also pleads guilty
- Vince King, 55, pleaded guilty to being in charge of dangerous dog, Blizzard
- Lincolnshire Police are holding the animal in isolation and will seek a kill order
A father whose racing husky mauled his three-month-old daughter to death has pleaded guilty to being in charge of the animal on the day his trial was due to begin.
Vince King, 55, was in charge of the out-of-control husky, named Blizzard, when it killed three-month-old Kyra King in her pram in woodland at 11pm on March 6, 2022.
The father was due to stand trial at Lincoln Crown Court on Thursday but pleaded guilty prior to the start of proceedings after discussions with his barrister, Siward James-Moore.
His then partner, Karen Alcock, 41, pleaded guilty in December and the pair will be sentenced in August.
The dog in question, Blizzard, has been held in isolation at secure kennels since the incident and Lincolnshire Police will seek an order for it to be put down at the sentencing.
Karen Alcock (left), 41, and Vince King (right), 55, have pleaded guilty to charges of being in control of the husky that killed three-month-old Kyra King (pictured in November 2022)
The dogs were transported in a van, the rear of which had been modified to contain lockable cages, and were used for racing rather than being domestic pets
Prosecutor Jeremy Janes told the court that King and Alcock were at Ostler’s Plantation, an area of woodland near Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire, with 19 huskies at around 11pm on the day of the incident.
The dogs were transported in a van, the rear of which had been modified to contain lockable cages, and were used for racing rather than being domestic pets.
The animals were split into two teams which then pulled home-made sleds around the wooded area, and, after King and Alcock finished racing one group of dogs, they returned to the van to rotate the sledding teams.
But as they did so, one husky, Blizzard, managed to leap over the partition separating the cages from the van’s front seats, before running out of the open passenger door and attacking Kyra in her pram.
Mr Janes said ‘it is not possible to separate’ King and Alcock’s involvement, due to both being at the scene when the incident occurred.
He said: ‘No-one was in control of Blizzard because both were at the rear of the van getting the second sled team ready.
‘By default, that would make Mr King liable in law as the owner of Blizzard.’
He added: ‘There is absolutely nothing to prevent a dog from getting from one part to another and out of the van.
‘In other words, absolutely no preventative measures.’
One husky, Blizzard, managed to leap over the partition separating the cages from the van’s front seats, before running out of the open passenger door and attacking Kyra in her pram (pictured: Vince King’s van)
The parents will be sentenced in August after both pleading guilty. The dog, Blizzard, is being held in isolation by Lincolnshire Police, who will seek a kill order
Despite the efforts of the emergency services, Kyra was pronounced dead at the scene, with an inquest later finding she died from head and neck injuries.
He said: ‘This was a lovely child that was tragically lost, but the law rightly considers the death of any child, even if it’s your own, to be extremely serious.’
‘There is a premium, for good reason, on those who choose to have these dogs to get it right,’ he added.
Alcock, 41, had pleaded guilty to the same charge on December 23 last year and was not present at Thursday’s hearing.
Adjourning proceedings, Judge Sjolin Knight told King: ‘There isn’t now going to be a trial but what follows will need to be a sentence for both you and Ms Alcock.
‘It’s important that when I come to sentence you that I know as much as possible about both of you, the run-up to what happened and how you both reacted to it.’
King, of Castle Dyke Bank, New York, Lincolnshire, was given unconditional bail and will be sentenced on August 14.
Alcock, of the same address, will be sentenced on the same date.
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