Daniel Twigg, three, died after being attacked by two dogs at a farm in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. His parents Mark Twigg and Joanne Bedford are now on trial
A mum told a 999 operator that her three-year-old son had been “ripped to pieces” after being attacked by two dogs at a farm, a court has heard.
Daniel Twigg suffered “severe damage” to his neck in the incident on May 15, 2022, jurors were told. The court heard the little boy had “suffered massive internal and likely plentiful external bleeding” and later died from his injuries. The child entered a pen before being attacked by two dogs named Sid and Tiny, weighing around 50kg each, prosecutors said.
The child’s parents, Mark Twigg and Joanne Bedford, from Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, both deny manslaughter and offences under the Dangerous Dog Act. They are now on trial at Manchester Crown Court.
Jurors previously heard Mr Twigg and Ms Bedford had a “long association” with Carr Farm on Tunshill Lane, Rochdale, which belonged to Daniel’s godfather, Matthew Brown. The court was told that Mr Twigg was an “odd job man” and worked for Mr Brown.
Jurors were told it was agreed Mr Twigg and Ms Bedford would live there to tend to the animals by “feeding them, watering them and ensuring that their living conditions were acceptable,” it was said. There were a variety of dog breeds on the property including an American Bulldog, German Shepherd and Tibetan Mastiff, the jury heard.
Yesterday, jurors were shown CCTV of the incident in which Daniel was seen entering the pen where he was attacked. Prosecutor John Elvidge KC said: “He was only in view for a few seconds before he disappeared at the same time as the sudden and persistent activity in the adjacent pen, when Ted [a German Shepherd] was aroused by the attack on Daniel.
“It was almost 20 minutes later, at 1.09 pm that Joanne Bedford telephoned for an ambulance saying ‘the dog just killed him… he’s ripped him to pieces.’ The paramedics arrived at Carr Farm at 1.23pm, less than 15 minutes after the emergency call was made.”
Daniel went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to hospital. He sadly died hours later, the court heard. The prosecutor said while the circumstances around the attack are unclear, the boy was “alone and unsupervised at the time and able to enter the yard.”
Pathologist Dr Phillip Lumb recorded the medical cause of death as “head and neck injuries (dog bites).” The court heard one of the dogs, Sid, was shot at the scene by dog handlers, with a post-mortem examination showing the animal hadn’t eaten for 12 to 24 hours before he was shot.
Greater Manchester Police analyst Charlotte McKnee said the force received a number of calls and police logs of incidents relating to the dogs. Defence counsel Andrew Thomas KC, representing Mr Twigg, said: “You must be sure of truly exceptionally bad negligence. You must be sure of a serious and obvious risk of death, not just a risk of biting.
“Sid and Tiny were not their dogs. They only came to live there after a breakdown in relationship and Mr Brown being arrested. Daniel was not free to wander into the pen. To open the pen it was necessary to reach through the gate and slide the bolt across. Mr Twigg was not there when Daniel was killed. He left for work four hours earlier and left him in the care of his mother.”
Twigg and Bedford deny the offences. The trial continues.
