A 78-year-old woman has told a court she moved her Bernese mountain dogs to a separate property not because they were suspected of killing her landlord, but as a deterrent against burglars. June Miles is accused of moving two of her five Bernese mountain dogs, including one named Nigel with a blood-stained muzzle, from the country home of her landlord, Antony Harrington, after discovering him dead.
Mr. Harrington, a retired vet, was found naked in his garden in November 2023, suffering from more than 1,000 bite and claw wounds. Miles, who was using a wheeled frame to enter and leave Warwick Crown Court, discovered the body upon returning to Mr. Harrington's home, The Old Rectory, in Meriden, West Midlands.
Miles told jurors she last saw Mr. Harrington alive shortly before 9:30 a.m. on November 25. She stated she put three of the male Bernese dogs in a secure run and kept a female, Phoebe, and her puppy in a separate room. Later that day, she claimed the three male dogs were loose in the garden.
Miles then drove with one of the dogs, Otis, and her dachshund, Mr. Purple, to Birmingham. Upon returning to The Old Rectory at 4:50 p.m., she took the three male dogs and Phoebe to Yew Tree Farm, a property she had previously lived at, located a ten-minute drive away. She stated she left Nigel and Otis at the farm before returning to Mr. Harrington's home, where she discovered his body.
"I immediately came in the back door and phoned 999 because I could see he was deceased," Miles testified. "I don't know how long he had been deceased. He was lying on his front."
When asked if she had taken the dogs to Yew Tree Farm because she suspected they had attacked Mr. Harrington, she replied, "No, why would I?" She explained that she moved them to the isolated farm to act as a deterrent to potential burglars, noting that her own previous residence had not been broken into because of the dogs.
Miles denied seeing any blood stains on Nigel's muzzle, stating, "I would have noticed any blood if there had been, it would have stood out." She expressed shock at her subsequent arrest in connection with the tragedy.
The court heard that Mr. Harrington was likely attacked before he received a text message at 12:17 p.m. to which he did not reply. Prosecutors suggested that Mr. Harrington's blood found on Nigel's muzzle provided a "clear inference" of the dog's involvement, although investigators could not rule out the involvement of any of the five Bernese mountain dogs, Mr. Harrington's black Russian terrier, Red, or Miles's dachshund, Mr. Purple, who all lived at the property.
Miles, of Atherstone, Warwickshire, denies perverting the course of justice. She has admitted to being the owner of a dog that caused injury while being dangerously out of control, relating to an incident the day before Mr. Harrington's death where his daughter, Wendy Harrington, was reportedly attacked by Phoebe.
Miles's defense indicated that her account in court differed from initial police interviews due to the shock she experienced following the discovery of Mr. Harrington's body. Her evidence is set to continue.
