MAJORCA DOG OWNER SENT TO PRISON

The family of the four-year-old boy killed by an Argentine dogo dog in Can Picafort last year was outraged yesterday when a Palma court sentenced the owner of the killer dog to a year in jail after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Francisca Vega, the child's mother, described the sentence as “insufficient” adding “I think it's incredible that the death of a four-year-old child is worth just a year in jail, while for lots of lads addicted to drugs and robbing 3'000 pesetas, they get sent down for four to five years, or more.” The emotional mother of Francisco Hiraldo Vega who was killed by “Copi” just yards from his family home, says she cannot face the thought of appealing the sentence. “The process takes too long and we don't want to carry on living the nightmare anymore,” Francisca Vega said yestetrday. The one year sentence handed down to the dog's owner, Manuel Alfredo Cordero Lanza, was made public yesterday. While the judge recognised the fact that the animal, which has since been put down, escaped while out for a walk with the owner's son, the judge found Cordero ultimately responsible as it was his job, in the eyes of the judge, to guarantee that “Copi”, which has shown previous signs of aggression, would not attack anyone. Francisca Vega yesterday said that the Argentine dogo dogs were orginally bred to catch pumas and jaguars and that one of the witnesses changed his statement during the final hearing.