Quebec dog owner found guilty of criminal negligence after mauling of 7-year-old girl

A Quebec man whose pit bull attacked and severely disfigured a young girl has been found guilty of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

Quebec court Judge Pierre Belisle handed down the ruling against Karim Jean-Gilles today.

"We feel satisfied with this verdict....This is the verdict we were hoping to get," said Bernard Biron, father of Vanessa, who was attacked in a park in Brossard, on Montreal's South Shore, in September 2015.

The attack left Vanessa, who was seven at the time of the attack, with skull and hand fractures, as well as a cheekbone broken in seven pieces.

Biron said his daughter, now 10, still has a large, visible scar on her face and has difficulty smiling because of the nerve damage in her face.

No leashes

The attack occurred in Marquise Park, after Jean-Gilles left his two dogs in the care of his elderly mother — without leashes.

"The accused broke the law by leaving his elderly mother in charge of the dogs when she didn't have the capacity to restrain them, especially without a collar or a leash to control them," the judge wrote in his ruling.

At the end of the proceedings, the judge gave Jean-Gilles the opportunity to address the family. He refused.

Biron told reporters outside the courtroom that he would have liked to have heard something.

"I would have appreciated to hear some sort of empathy, some sort of sadness."

Sentencing in March

The judge said Jean-Gilles showed an unsettling lack of care toward the life and the safety of others.

Jean-Gilles could face a maximum of 10 years in prison.

At Thursday's proceedings, Crown prosecutor Claudie Gilbert recommended a sentence of three years, in addition to the time he's already serving now for a separate offence.

Belisle answered he would have recommended something higher.

"I would have thought more than three years," he said in court. He said the punishment should send a message.

Jean-Gilles's sentencing is expected on March 23.