Ellie Lawrenson: Gran put up 'heroic' struggle

Sep 8 2007 Liverpool Daily Post

ELLIE LAWRENSON’S grandmother put up a “heroic” struggle in a bid to save the five-year-old as she was mauled to death by a banned dog, a jury heard yesterday .

Jacqueline Simpson, 45, is on trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of the manslaughter of Ellie by gross negligence which she denies.

She has admitted she knew Reuben, the pit bull terrier which savaged the little girl during the early hours of January 1, was illegal but did not get rid of it.

The court heard Simpson had been looking after Ellie while her parents celebrated New Year and she let the dog into the house.

She said she had drunk two bottles of wine over a period of several hours that day, and smoked nine or 10 cannabis joints.

Simpson said she let Reuben in and he lay down for about 20 minutes before she went to switch off a light before going to bed.

She has claimed there was a loud bang from a firework and the next thing she saw was Reuben on top of Ellie.

Ellie suffered 72 separate injuries in the fatal attack, during which Simpson battled to save her, and the dog was shot dead by police.

In his closing speech to the jury, defence QC John McDermott said: “She did her best.

“She put up, you may think, a heroic struggle with that dog.

“She has not made much of her injury to try and cultivate some bizarre sense of sympathy.” He reminded the jury that Ellie’s father, Darren Lawrenson, 31, called Simpson “stupid” during his evidence.

Mr McDermott said: “She was the doting grandma that Ellie always wanted to stay with.

“She is not stupid. She is an ordinary woman, a mother and grandmother, with all the faults and frailties we all have as human beings and to find Jacqui Simpson guilty would be a harsh, harsh judgment.”

Neil Flewitt, QC, for the prosecution, said in his speech to the jury that there was no doubt Simpson loved Ellie, but that was not an excuse for what she did and it was not a defence to the charge.

He added: “A moment’s thought would have led to the inevitable conclusion that, if that dog had attacked Ellie, it could quite easily have killed her.

“This wasn’t an accident or minor misjudgment, it was reckless and cavalier and grossly negligent behaviour and it was the direct cause of Ellie Lawrenson’s death.”

The case continues.