A 78-year-old woman is on trial accused of perverting the course of justice after allegedly moving two of her Bernese mountain dogs from the home of a retired veterinarian who was found savaged to death in his garden. June Miles, who was lodging with the victim, is accused of moving the dogs, including one with a blood-stained muzzle, after discovering the 77-year-old man, Antony Harrington, dead in November 2023.
Jurors at Warwick Crown Court heard that Mr. Harrington suffered more than 1,000 bite and claw marks to his head, neck, arms, chest, legs, and back. He was found face down and naked in his garden. A blood stain found on the muzzle of one of Miles' dogs, a male named Nigel, was DNA-matched to Mr. Harrington, indicating the dog's potential involvement in the attack. However, investigators could not rule out the involvement of any of the five Bernese mountain dogs owned by Miles, which lived at the property along with Mr. Harrington's black Russian terrier.
Miles, who used a metal frame to enter and exit the courtroom, has admitted to being the owner of a dog that caused injury while being dangerously out of control. This charge relates to an incident the day before Mr. Harrington's death, when his daughter, Wendy Harrington, was attacked by another of Miles' dogs, Pheobe, in her father's yard. Ms. Harrington described being cornered by Pheobe and three male dogs, with Pheobe ripping her coat and biting her thigh, buttocks, leg, and foot.
Ms. Harrington testified that the attack on her ended when Miles appeared and began hitting the dogs with a metal feeding bowl. She stated she did not report the incident at the time because her father had asked her not to, as the dogs were "her (Miles') life." The following evening, Ms. Harrington went to her father's property after being unable to contact him. Upon arrival, she was met by police and, suspecting an incident involving the dogs due to her own experience the previous day, was instructed to switch off her car engine and remain at the scene, which led her to believe her father was dead.
Prosecutors contend that Miles moved the dogs, specifically Nigel, to a derelict outbuilding at a farm where she had previously lived, located some distance from Mr. Harrington's home. ANPR traffic camera data indicated that Miles had been in the vicinity of the house on the day of the attack and had the opportunity to discover Mr. Harrington's body and move the dogs before traveling to Birmingham, as she had told police. It is believed Mr. Harrington was attacked sometime before 12:17 p.m. on November 25.
Miles told a 999 operator in a distressed call that she had arrived home to find Mr. Harrington's body and was unsure what to do. A neighbor, Zoe Wild, also testified to Miles informing her that "Tony's in the garden. He's been bitten. I think he's dead." Mrs. Wild described Mr. Harrington's body as appearing "white and blue" and like a "waxwork," and characterized the dogs at the property as "out of control," recalling hearing them fight in the weeks leading up to the fatal attack.
A pathologist determined that Mr. Harrington died as a result of multiple injuries, some of which were described as deep or extremely destructive. Miles, of Atherstone, Warwickshire, denies the charge of perverting the course of justice. The trial is ongoing.