Sharon Greve, 43, spent weeks scrubbing the empty house in Cardiff where her mum died from a heart attack after being attacked by the American bulldog.
But Cardiff council chiefs sent her a rent bill for the property - even though no one was living there.
Council officials have now apologised for sending the bill after the death of 64-year-old Rhona Greve in Ely.
Grieving Sharon told how she was “disgusted” at getting a rent bill totalling £1,600.47 for seven and a half months rent after Rhona’s death.
Her grandson Craig’s American bulldog called Solo attacked 5ft-tall grandmother-of-21 at her rented council home in Ely in March.
They need to send the bill to the grandson/owner of dog. Also, this woman needs to stop being so hateful to the council and direct her hate towards her relative who CHOSE TO OWN this vicious dog.
Sharon said: “At the time of mum’s death I was devastated and it took some time for the police to do their work in the house. After their investigation was over I was given access back inside her home.
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| Rhona Greve, 64, killed by her American Bulldog |
“I wanted to get it clean so I had to remove mum’s blood from the floors and the walls. I couldn’t just leave it like that. I spent weeks scrubbing the red and brown stains out of that house. It was harrowing knowing where Mum had stumbled and eventually passed out in pain.”
She said a sympathetic council official visited to tell her to “take all the time she needed”.
Sharon said: “I was grateful for their flexibility - it wasn’t just mum’s stuff that needed to be removed from the house. She was a widow and she’d kept all of my dad’s things. She had everything, his LPs, his clothes, even his pyjamas were in the drawer.
'Vicious and sustained attack'
Widow Rhona died after being bitten 16 times by the pet owned by her grandson Craig Anthony Greve, 23, who was later jailed for five and a half years for having a dangerous dog.
Sentencing him, Judge Eleri Rees said: “Solo was too strong and powerful for her to control. She was the victim of a vicious and sustained attack and must have suffered excruciating pain. She suffered a shocking attack. She must have suffered greatly.”
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| Craig Greve, 23, who is unemployed and was living with his grandmother, and I'm sure, having her pay all the bills while he ran around with his friends |
She had 15 deep wounds to her face, neck, legs, arms, and buttocks - some of which exposed muscle and ligament.
'It's heartless'
Daughter Sharon handed back the keys in July nearly 12 weeks after her mother died - but the house was later boarded up with no-one moving in.
Sharon said: “I could never live in that house and no-one has since my mother died. I don’t know how anyone could live there, knowing what happened. My mum was murdered by that dog and it was left to me to pick up the pieces. A big bill in the post is the last thing I need at the moment.
“Christmas is coming up, I have seven kids to feed, I can’t work through stress and grief and my partner lost his job after helping me so much when mum died.
“It’s heartless and actually disgusting that they could bill me for the time it took me to clean mum’s house up.”
Apology
Susan Elsmore, Cardiff council's cabinet member for health, housing and well-being, said: “I extend an apology to the Greve family because on this occasion I believe we may have got it wrong.
“As a local authority, the City of Cardiff Council has a duty to protect public funds and in normal circumstances would seek to recover any outstanding debts owed to the council. However, in exceptional circumstances discretion can be applied.
“I’m pleased to say that a decision has been taken not to recover the debts in this case. On behalf of the council I apologise again for any distress our actions have caused the family at this very difficult time.”
(WalesOnline - Nov 25, 2015)
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