The Tribune

By PAVEL BAILEY 

and LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporters

A BIMINI dog owner was sentenced to 12 months in prison yesterday after six dogs mauled a nine-year-old American boy about 100 times, leaving him with life-threatening injuries and facing what his family described as a long and difficult recovery.

Harrington Rolle, 34, received the sentence from acting Chief Magistrate Ancella Evans after pleading guilty to negligently causing grievous harm.

He was also sentenced to six months for being the owner of a dangerous dog that caused injury and 30 days for permitting a dangerous dog to be at large. The sentences will run concurrently.

The victim, Beau Brattain, of Florida, was holidaying with his parents in Bimini when the dogs attacked him as he collected sand on a beach at about 10am on July 28.

The dogs bit the child’s face, head, arms and legs before an unidentified passerby intervened and chased them away.

Beau was taken to the local clinic and later airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in the United States with life-threatening injuries. Prosecutors previously told the court that he underwent two surgeries, including one that lasted ten hours.

Photographs of his injuries were shown to Magistrate Evans, who described them as “disturbing”.

The magistrate said one photograph appeared to show that “two large chunks of his arm have been bitten out”.

Rolle appeared forlorn during sentencing and accepted full responsibility for his actions.

He said the dogs had been kept in a storage shed, but admitted that the lock was defective.

When Magistrate Evans previously asked what would have happened had the child died, Rolle said he had no answer and acknowledged that he would have been in the wrong.

Beau’s relatives have since launched a GoFundMe campaign seeking $350,000 to help pay for his medical care, rehabilitation, travel and other recovery expenses.

The campaign had raised more than $240,000 by press time yesterday.

“In the days and months ahead, Beau’s family will be focused on one thing: his healing,” the family said. “Alongside the overwhelming emotional toll, they are now facing significant medical expenses, travel costs and rehabilitation needs related to this tragic incident.”

The family said Beau faces “a long and difficult road to recovery”.

Sergeant Vernon Pyfrom prosecuted the case.