A FRENCH tourist who was looking after her friend's dog when it seriously hurt a two-year-old boy will not be prosecuted over the incident.
A complaint against Sophie Ungar was withdrawn at Croydon Magistrates' Court this morning, because she was not the dog's owner.
Prosecutors will now decide whether to charge the owner over the incident outside Tesco in Purley on Tuesday.
A two-year-old boy was taken to hospital with facial injuries after he was bitten by the dog in the supermarket's car park, at around 11am.
The Advertiser understands he required more than 25 stitches. Police said his injuries were not life-threatening or life-changing.
The dog's owner, John Giltrap, of Brighton Road, Purley, told the Advertiser the male labrador-terrier cross, Joey, was not normally aggressive.
He said Ms Ungar and her teenage children had tied up Joey outside the supermarket while Ms Ungar went indoors.
He added: "The child went to the dog's face and patted the dog and the dog had no problem with that but then the child went away and then came back and threw its arms around the dog from the back."
He added Ms Ungar and her children were visiting him for a week from her home in France, near Strasbourg, but she had been arrested almost immediately after the incident.
"They took fingerprints, DNA and she was in the cells for eight hours," Mr Giltrap added.
He said Joey had since been deemed not-dangerous by police. Police could not immediately confirm that on Friday afternoon.
District Judge Karen Hammond told Ms Ungar: "The prosecution have withdrawn the case. You will hear no more about this charge and you are free to go."
