A dog that mauled its owner to death in October 2017 had months earlier had its ear shot off in a violent home invasion, with three men sentenced on Friday for their role in the attack.
Tania Klemke was mauled to death before police were forced to shoot the animal dead after it attacked them while they were trying to help the injured woman.
A police face fit for the men released after the home invasion in March 2017. Cameron Sharp and two teenagers were sentenced on Friday for their role in the aggravated burglary.
Seven months earlier, 22-year-old Cameron Sharp had been planning to raid the home believing there was a cache of drugs and cash there worth more than $40,000.
He recruited another man and two 17-year-olds, who cannot legally be named because of their age at the time, to help him.
Tania Klemke.
On March 17, 2017, they drove two cars to the Watson house before the two men and one of the teenagers wrapped t-shirts around their faces as balaclavas and approached the house.
One man held a loaded shotgun.
Armed with a machete and pepper spray, Sharp knocked aggressively on the front door.
He pepper sprayed the dog and the alleged victim while forcing himself into the house. He grabbed the victim's jaw and smashed his head into the glass panels near the door.
During the melee the pitbull terrier bit Sharp and he swung the machete at the dog while the second man shot into the house and clipped the dog's ear.
The dog lost large amounts of blood and lost most of its ear but survived the shooting.
One of the teenagers had remained in the car during the aggravated burglary.
All four have pleaded guilty to their roles in the crime.
Sharp had pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Justice John Burns on Friday sentenced Sharp to three years and four months in jail, setting a non-parole period of 32 months. He will be eligible for release in January 2021.
The teenager who came up to the house was sentenced to two years and five months jail on a charge of being knowingly involved, but the jail term was suspended from Thursday.
The teenager who stayed in the car was sentenced to a 20 month long suspended sentence for aiding and abetting the aggravated burglary.
The other man has pleaded guilty to his role in the crime but will be sentenced at a later date.