Brazen owner of Bully which mauled boy, 5, blames child and insists ‘he's harmless…I still let him play with my toddler'

Scottish Sun

8 hours ago

'NOT DANGEROUS' Brazen owner of Bully which mauled boy, 5, blames child and insists 'he's harmless…I still let him play with my toddler'
A DAD whose dog 'savaged' a five-year-old boy says it was a "genuine mistake" and claims the child was actually in the wrong - sparking a furious response from his mum.
Aaron Eccles' Pocket Bully attacked Antonio Quinn - four at the time - after he unexpectedly came into the house and startled the pet, resulting in injuries to his face and legs.
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Aaron Eccles with his pet Pocket Bully called Harry
Credit: Aaron Eccles
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Antonio Quinn in an ambulance after the dog attack
Credit: SWNS
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Antonio had to have a three-hour operation to apply stitches to his face
Credit: SWNS
The little boy subsequently needed a three-hour operation to stitch his wounds - while police seized the Bully, as well as a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, owned by Aaron's partner, at the scene.
Aaron told The Sun: 'It's a genuine mistake and the parents aren't accepting the fact that their child's in the wrong for coming into the house."
And says he'd still be happy for the dog to play with his own six-month-old baby son.
However, Antonio's flabbergasted mum Amanda Holmes has hit back at the owner's claims, saying her son is "very lucky to be alive" and was certainly not to blame.
She said "trying to justify" the dog's behaviour is "sickening".
Aaron, who described arriving home on May 26 to see '20 armed officers' outside, believes the incident does not necessarily make his pet Harry - initially reported to be an XL Bully - 'dangerous'.
Antonio had followed Aaron's six-year-old stepson into the house in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, after they'd been playing outside - with only his older sister, age 12, upstairs.
Staffy Bella, who was in season, was in a cage to keep her separate from Harry.
Aaron, 34, told The Sun: 'I came back and there's 20 armed police terrorising my dogs, pepper spraying them and winding them up.
'They told me my dog's savaged somebody, a four year old boy.'
Mum screamed 'my baby's dead' as girl, 10, killed by XL Bully weeks after excitedly telling friends about her 'new pet'
He added: 'He got reported as an XL Bully but it wasn't. He's a Pocket Bully.'
Pocket Bully dogs are not part of the XL Bully ban.
It's a criminal offence to own or possess an XL Bully dog in England and Wales unless you have a valid Certificate of Exemption.
Pocket Bullies are a much smaller, though similar breed.
Aaron does not believe there would have been the same police response if they'd known initially Harry was a much smaller dog.
And argues, due to most dogs' sense of territory and reaction to an 'intruder', any breed could have reacted in a similar manner.
'The dog's never met the little boy before so he's thought he's an intruder and he's nipped him to warn him to get out,' he said.
'He's not ragged him or savaged him or anything. He has bitten him but it's a warning bite.
'He hasn't grabbed hold of him and shook him about - nothing like how it's been portrayed.'
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Antonio suffered injuries to his face, arms and legs
Credit: SWNS
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Antonio was bitten by the dog after entering his neighbour's home
Credit: SWNS
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His injuries also include scratches
Credit: SWNS
Describing Antonio's injuries, Aaron said: 'The marks on his legs are from his (the dog's) paws when he jumped up at him and also where he's caught his neck.'
The dad explained that his partner Nikki Morris, 35, had told her son not to go into the house while she went to collect Aaron from the gym, but in the space of 10 minutes from her leaving the incident happened.
He said: 'It's a genuine mistake and the parents aren't accepting the fact that their child's in the wrong for coming into the house.
'The worst has happened and now it's my family and dogs that are suffering.'
Aaron previously spent time homeless, with two-year-old Harry as his only companion, and said he's extremely loyal to him, but 'like a teddy bear' usually.
'He's never lashed out before,' he explained.
'He was just protecting his home - what he's loyal to. They don't differentiate between an adult and a child when they think it's a burglar. But he certainly hasn't mauled him.'
He continued: 'I've got an almost six month old baby, the Pocket Bully lies and sleeps next to him.
'I've got videos and pictures of him lying next to him licking him to death.
'I wouldn't have an aggressive dog next to my baby or my stepson.'
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Aaron with dog Harry and his six-month-old son
Credit: Aaron Eccles
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The dad says he would still be happy for the dog to be around his children if he gets him back
Credit: Aaron Eccles
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Aaron said Harry was simply defending his home
Credit: Aaron Eccles
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He said he has since had a call from a police officer asking if he would like both dogs euthanised, but told them no.
Aaron understands there will now be an assessment process to understand if the dogs are too dangerous to be allowed home, and he could face charges - but hasn't yet been arrested.
'The police aren't responding to me, it's like they don't care,' Aaron continued. 'I'm not 100 percent what's going to happen with the dogs.'
He said Staffy Bella had only escaped her cage when police arrived and antagonised Harry.
Describing the scene when he arrived home, he said: 'All armed police…they were just pepper spraying them through the door, through the back door and banging on the windows, getting them all aggressive while the other armed response officers were coming through the front door, spraying loads of pepper spray on them.
'It was sickening to watch. You don't do that to someone's pet. They're telling me they're aggressive, and I'm saying if you spray me with pepper spray and wind me up I'll be aggressive as well.'
Aaron and Nikki have bought Antonio a present but said they are letting the dust settle a little more before they try to speak to his family.
'We felt bad, but the fact of the matter is they need to accept their little boy was in the wrong, entering the house and they just won't accept that,' Aaron said.
'We're trying to fix things and it's just getting blown out of proportion. It was a tragic accident, there's no point torturing both dogs when one wasn't doing anything and the other isn't aggressive, he was just doing his job.
'He was just protecting his home.'
Asked if one of the dogs attacked any of his children he might feel differently, Aaron said: 'If I thought the dogs were capable of doing that [a much worse attack] to the children then I wouldn't think twice, I wouldn't be keeping them.
'I know 100 percent those dogs wouldn't do anything to my kids.'
He added: 'My stepson winds them up no end and they still don't do anything to him. They lick him.
'This is why I'm going so ballistic because I know my dogs are not dangerous.'
EXPERT COMMENT: 'The law must tread carefully with dog attacks involving children'
Rhianna Tsiattalou, Solicitor at criminal defence & civil litigation practice Stokoe Partnership Solicitors, told The Sun: 'Cases involving dangerous dogs - particularly where children are harmed are profoundly tragic, and the law must tread a careful line between protecting the public and ensuring fairness in the application of justice.
"This case falls within the remit of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, which makes it a criminal offence to own or be in charge of a dog that is 'dangerously out of control' in any place. This includes private property.
"Where such an incident results in serious injury, harsh penalties can be imposed, including jail time. If a child is involved, courts treat the matter with particular gravity.
"S3 (1A) and (1B) of the Dangerous Dogs Act provides an exemption from prosecution for householders in instances where their dog has been dangerously out of control with respect to trespassers in their home.
"However, this does not apply to dog attacks on trespassers in gardens, driveways or outbuildings.
"The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime & Policing Bill, Fact Sheet: Dangerous Dogs (part 7) makes clear that this is intended to differentiate between innocently intentioned trespassers or trespassers in or entering a dwelling that are more likely to have a malign intent.
"Often, individuals unaware of legal responsibilities around dog ownership face the full weight of prosecution only after tragedy occurs.
"Proactive education and tighter regulation around breeding, containment, and training are therefore essential.
"As lawyers, we frequently see cases where non-dangerous breeds become involved in catastrophic events, often due to a momentary lapse in containment or unpredictable behaviour.
"In these instances, it is important for cases to be dealt with promptly and without excess delay due to the undesirability of keeping dogs kennelled for long periods of time (as expressed in the Home Office Guidance Circular 29/1998).
"Dogs that are seized should be assessed immediately to ascertain whether they truly are a danger to the public.'
Antonio's mum Amanda told The Sun: "My son was playing with their son and he went to the door while their son got a drink.
"The dog ran out and attacked my son. Aaron and Nikki, the parents, weren't even in the house. They was out so maybe if they was in it could of been prevented.
"That dog could have gone for anyone passing by... I'm sick of hearing hearsay."
She added: "My lad's a very lucky boy."
Amanda called for Aaron to release footage from his home CCTV to show what happened, but Aaron said his cameras were not recording at the time.
Asked how Antonio is doing, she said: "He's doing really well - he's not been to school though and it's his birthday today (Friday)."
She said doctors have warned the boy's scars will be permanent, but his mum added: "Obviously, they will fade with age and I'm going to be getting him some good oil."
'It was the worst thing ever'
Amanda previously said her son had managed to run home, but was left covered in blood following the attack.
He was later taken to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital where he underwent surgery.
He suffered injuries to his cheeks, underneath his chin and his right thigh.
Amanda, 34, said: "It was the worst thing ever, it was horrible. It was so scary.
"I couldn't believe my son's face was like that, it was like something out of a horror film."
The mum-of-three went on to say: "I heard a scream - you know your child's cry.
"Antonio was then at the front door, he had blood all over his face and his cheeks were hanging off his face.
"I was screaming, asking what's happened and then I rang the ambulance.
"Luckily, the dog didn't remove any skin - they just ripped it.
"They've managed to put it all back together, they've done a really good job with him."
Despite Antonio's injuries, he seems to be doing well, she'd added.
She said: "I thought that bringing him home from the hospital, when we've got a dog, might be an obstacle for him but he's been absolutely fine.
"The dog knows that he's been injured so she hasn't left his side.
"Antonio is doing okay, you can tell that he's shocked by it.
"He's still in a lot of pain but he's doing well."
In a Facebook post last week, Amanda said: "My son is 4 years old, he plays with my neighbour's son.
"...went in the house for some juice and there dog pounced on my son and attacked him he's lucky to still be alive...the comments that are being made on the groups trying to justify the dog are sickening.
"If them dogs were brought up right they should never of seen a 4 year old boy as a threat!"
A Lancashire Police spokesperson said: "We're appealing for information and footage after a child suffered a dog bite in Oswaldtwistle.
"We were called at shortly after 1.30pm on Monday 26th May following reports that a child had been bitten by a dog on Thwaites Road, Oswaldtwistle.
"The child, a four-year-old boy, was taken to hospital with injuries to his leg and face.
"Thankfully, those injuries are not life threatening.
"Two dogs have been seized by police - a Staffordshire Bull Terrier type and a Pocket Bully Type and the dog owner has been identified and will be spoken to in due course."
Which dog breeds are banned in the UK?
THERE are specific regulations in place that prohibit certain dog breeds from being owned or bred in the UK.
So what are the illegal dogs in the UK?
Which dog breeds are illegal in the UK?
People tend to think of large, vicious dogs when they imagine being bitten by one.
But the truth is that many types of dogs are known to bite humans, whether provoked or not.
However, it's important to remember that just because a breed tends to bite humans, that doesn't mean that they all do.
British law determines five breeds of dog are illegal to own, breed, sell or give away.
These are an XL Bully, Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro.