A postwoman was left dazed and bloodied after being mauled by a dangerously out of control dog while making a delivery in Upottery. The rottweiler cross lunged out of an open window and bit her hand, then chomped down on her elbow and tugged at her limb as she fell to the ground.
Workmen came to her aid and stemmed the bleeding. When paramedics arrived she was in and out of consciousness and later needed surgery, a court heard.
The dog's owner, Dominic Wagstaffe, 28, also came to her aid. He appeared at court in Exeter on Monday and was given a community order for a single offence under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. He must pay £3,000 compensation to the victim.
The court was shown photos of the victim's injuries. She needed plastic surgery and has been left with large scars. The animal has since been put down.
Prosecutor Lyndsey Baker said the incident took place in July 2025. The postwoman had been covering the area for two years and was aware the property had a dog. A downstairs window was open. She asked builders working on the roof whether the dog was in and was told there had been no issues that day and his bark was worse than his bite.
The dog then "lunged out from the window," said the prosecutor. The animal bit the woman's hand and then below the elbow. "The dog was biting down on her an tugging," said the prosecutor.
The builders intervened and removed the animal. They fashioned a tourniquet to stem the bleeding. Wagstaffe was also working on the house and called an ambulance, said the prosecutor.
The victim was left in pain and shock. She was treated by paramedics. She later had emergency surgery and doctors said the injuries were potentially life-changing.
The court was told the dog had no history of being aggressive before escaping through the window. The owner said the dog had been left to him by a friend. The attack was described as "totally out of the blue" by Stuart Wild, defending. The owner was genuinely sorry for what happened to the postwoman.
Wagstaffe pleaded guilty to the single offence of being the owner of a Presa Canario cross rottweiler which was dangerously out of control when it injured a person. He was given a 12-month community order with rehabilitation activity. He must do unpaid work for 150 hours.
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "Dog attacks on posties remain a serious concern. We recently reported 2,019 dog attacks on our colleagues for the previous year. It is unacceptable that our colleagues are injured while simply carrying out their duties delivering the mail.
"Even a seemingly friendly dog can react unexpectedly, so we continue to urge owners to secure their pets before opening the door to receive mail or parcels. Dog attacks can have a lasting physical and emotional impact on our colleagues, and we will continue to support efforts to raise awareness of the issue and promote responsible dog ownership."
Postwoman Bloodied in Dog Attack, Owner Sentenced