Wine critic in £180,000 fight with dog sitter after beloved cockapoo hit by car

A top wine critic is suing a dog sitter after his beloved pet cockapoo was hit by a car while in her care.

- NEVILE AYLING

The writer and renowned wine critic Harry Eyres is blaming Kendra Torgan for serious spinal injuries his dog, Ebony, suffered after being run over by an estate agent’s car outside her home in Kensal Rise, London, in 2022.

Mr Eyres, 66, says he was forced to spend thousands on lifesaving spinal reconstruction surgery for the dog, who he regards as a “beloved member of his family”.

He is now trying to recoup the cost from Ms Torgan, who he blames for allowing the cockapoo to escape from her garden and run into the road. Mr Eyres is seeking up to £30,000 in damages at Central London County Court, and the case is also set to run up more than £150,000 in legal costs.

But Ms Torgan, a former actor who starred as a “beautiful female assassin” in the 1998 British crime thriller Killing Time, denies the accident was her fault and blames the dog.

Mr Eyres is a renowned wine critic who writes for publications including Country Life magazine. He is also an author and poet, and was formerly a theatre critic for The Times, wine editor for Harpers & Queen, and has written columns for the Financial Times and The Spectator. Ms Torgan acted in a series of films before setting up her pet business, which offers dog walking, puppy training, whispering and behavioural therapy.