Latest news with #Caernarfon
The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
Eight-year-old boy's thumb bitten off as he played in street in savage XL Bully attack as owner is jailed
AN eight-year-old boy has had his thumb bitten off after being brutally attacked by an XL Bully as he was playing on the street. The dog's owner, Ian Parry, 45, was jailed for 26 months today after admitting to owning the illegal hound which attacked the boy on August 11 last year. 4 4 4 In an impact statement read by his mum at Caernarfon crown court, Cao Shaw, said: 'I thought I was going to die. I still get bad dreams about what happened. I have scars all over my body.' On the day of the attack, mum, Ffion Williams, 38, had taken her son to Parry's home in Caernarfon, Gwynedd on their way to a friend's birthday party. When they arrived at his home, the dog was in a cage in the living room, the court heard. Yvette Hodgson, who was there at the time, said she saw the dog looking 'focussed' before leaping onto the young lad's face. Parry later told police a child may have opened the cage. Prosecutor Richard Edwards said Hodgson and Caio fell to the floor as she tried to shield the youngster from the raging hound. There was a 'crunching' sound from his hand before Parry ran to get a knife from the house. But before he stabbed the dog a second time the pet bit Hodgson's forehead. Covered in blood, the schoolboy was rushed to hospital in Bangor before being transferred to Alder Hey children's hospital in Liverpool where he was treated for serious injuries. The prosecution said :'Police found, despite the two stab wounds, the dog was still alive. "The decision was made to dispatch the dog with a single shot to the head.' Caio had a catalogue of wounds including to the ear, shoulder, face and arm and was seen by a plastic surgery team. In an emotional impact statement, Caio's mother told the judge her son had been 'adventurous and boisterous.' She said :'I had absolutely no idea the dog was in the house. If I had known there had been an XL Bully at the address I would never have let Caio go in. They have a bad reputation.' She described seeing his ear torn and thumb ripped. She added: 'He was asking me 'why me, why me, I didn't do anything wrong. "Caio could have been killed that day. I think about what could have happened.' She said her son has since suffered ongoing nightmares and has been given a nickname at school which "triggers" him. The prosecutor added that Parry had 33 offences on his record including for violence and drug matters. Defence barrister Simon Killeen said Parry has a wife and four children, is a hard worker and has 'absolutely genuine remorse.' The dog required an exemption certificate to keep it, he added, but Parry had failed to ensure payment had been made for it. 4
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Daily Mail
XL Bully owner whose banned pet bit off eight-year-old's thumb in savage attack is jailed
A man whose prohibited XL bully dog bit off an eight-year-old boy's thumb in a savage attack was today jailed for 26 months. Caio Shaw told a court 'I thought I was going to die' as the powerful dog subjected him to the terrifying ordeal last August. His mother had taken him Ian Parry's house in Caernarfon, Gwynedd en route to a birthday party. As Caio and a friend were preparing to go inside, his grandmother Yvette Hodgson said the dog appeared, looking 'focused' on the youngster, and leapt towards his face, a court heard today. Ms Hodgson fell to the floor and tried to shield her grandson but said there was a 'crunching' sound from his hand. Owner Parry got a knife from the house and stabbed the dog to the chest. But the pet bit Mrs Hodgson's forehead before it was stabbed a second time, while Caio was left covered in blood. Police and ambulance crews were called, and despite being stabbed the dog was still alive when they arrived. Caio Shaw, eight, was horrifically mauled and had his right thumb bitten off when he was attacked by a prohibited XL bully dog in Caernarfon, Gwynedd last August 'The decision was made to dispatch the dog with a single shot to the head,' prosecutor Richard Edwards told Caernarfon Crown Court Caio was taken to hospital at Bangor and then, due to the severity of his injuries, transferred 90 miles to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool. He had a catalogue of wounds including to the ear, shoulder, face and arm and was seen by a plastic surgery team, losing his right thumb. In an statement to the court describing the impact of the attack on August 11 last year, read by his mother Ffion Williams, 38, Caio said: 'I thought I was going to die. 'I still get bad dreams about what happened. 'I have scars all over my body.' She was unaware there was an XL bully at the address, the court heard. Parry, 45, admitted owning a dog dangerously out of control and which caused injury. The dog had been in a cage in the living room. Parry later told police a child may have opened it. The dog was about ten months old and had been bought for £1,000 on Facebook, according to Parry. In her own emotional impact statement, Caio's mother, a carer, told the judge her son had been 'adventurous and boisterous.' She said: 'I had absolutely no idea the dog was in the house. 'If I had known there had been an XL Bully at the address I would never have let Caio go in. 'They have a bad reputation.' She described seeing his ear was torn and thumb had gone. 'He was asking me "Why me, why me, I didn't do anything wrong"' Ms Williams said. 'Caio could have been killed that day. I think about what could have happened.' Her son still suffers nightmares, she said. The prosecutor added that Parry had 33 offences on his record including for violence and drug matters. Defence barrister Simon Killeen said Parry had a wife and four children and had 'absolutely genuine remorse.' Mr Killeen said the dog required an exemption certificate to keep it. Parry had used an online system but didn't check payment had been made for it. Jailing him for 26 months, Judge Nicola Jones said the dog was not wearing a harness or collar when it left the cage. She said serious injury was caused to the boy, with partial amputation of the thumb, and to Ms Hodgson. 'It was an XL Bully, it was known to be prohibited,' the judge added. An indefinite order prevents Parry from having custody of a dog. He protested in Welsh from the dock about his sentence. Outside court, Caio's mother said: 'I'm glad the case is over. 'It's a life sentence for Caio. It will never be over for Caio. 'I feel guilty because I took him there.' It has been an offence to own or possess an XL Bully dog in England and Wales without a valid certificate of exemption since a crackdown launched last year following a spate of horrific attacks. The powerfully-built animals can only be exercised in public on a muzzle and lead. Dog attacks have risen by a fifth in one year, with police recording more than 80 incidents a day. In 2023, there were over 6,000 recorded incidents of dog bites requiring hospital treatment.
BBC News
16 hours ago
- BBC News
Caernarfon XL bully owner Ian Parry jailed after boy attacked
A man whose XL bully dog attacked an eight-year-boy leaving him without his thumb has been sentenced to 26 months in Parry, of Penrallt Uchaf Stryd, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, previously pleaded guilty to owning an out-of-control XL bully and causing serious 45, was in possession of the 10-month-old animal when the attack happened at about 10:40 BST on Ffordd Penrallt Uchaf, Caernarfon, on 11 August last who was left "covered in blood", was taken to Ysbyty Gwynedd and then Alder Hey Hospital, Liverpool. Caio was on his way to a birthday party at the time of the attack and suffered several injuries to his face and body as well as losing his Crown Court heard on Thursday that the dog was "completely focused" on Caio, despite the efforts of his grandmother and others on the street to protect him during the an attempt to stop it, Parry stabbed the dog twice with a knife before the XL bully - which he had bought after seeing an advert on Facebook in November 2023 - let go of the boy. Although the dog survived the stabbing, it was later shot Nicola Saffman said the animal was not wearing a collar, which made it more difficult to stop the mother, Ffion Williams, told the court her son was a "happy" and "adventurous" child before the incident but the attack has had a terrible effect on him and left him "worried he was going to die".She added Caio "suffered in so many ways" and was now afraid to pass the house where the dog had come from."I know any dog can turn, but not all dogs have the power of these XL bullies," she a statement read in court, Caio said his hand "still hurt", that he continued to have nightmares about the incident and that he had several scars on his body. Parry was described in the hearing as an "active man" who had tried to turn his back on crime, having not appeared in front of the court since will spend half of his 26-month sentence in custody, and the rest on licence and was also banned from keeping a dog indefinitely.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wyn Davies 1942-2025
Born in Caernarfon, Davies enjoyed goal-laden stints at Wrexham and Bolton Wanderers in the early stages of his footballing career before joining Newcastle United in 1966. Known affectionately as 'Wyn the Leap' and 'The Mighty Wyn' due to his aerial prowess, the Welshman spent five years at St. James' Park, scoring 53 goals in 216 appearances for the Magpies whilst wearing the famous nine shirt, and was part of the United team which won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969 under Joe Harvey's management. Davies then enjoyed spells at Manchester City, Manchester United and Blackpool during the 1970s before finishing his career with Bangor City in 1979 as well as gaining 34 senior international caps for Wales, scoring six times. The club's thoughts are with Wyn's family and friends at this difficult time.
The Sun
19-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Major discount store with 178 shops will shut TWO branches in just hours as closing down sale launched
A MAJOR discount store with 178 shops will shut two branches and has launched huge closing down sales. The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) is preparing to close sites in Bridlington and Caernarfon this Sunday, July 20. 1 Both branches will close for the last time tomorrow, giving shoppers just hours to say their goodbyes. Huge closing down sales have been launched across the stores, with the Bridlington branch offering 70% off all stock. Meanwhile, the Caernarfon is also offering 70% off all items in store, with employees encouraging shoppers to "grab a bargain while you can". That means a £2 item will now scan for 60p and a product which cost £80 will now cost £24. The closures have come as a blow to some locals with one sharing they were "so sick of things closing down". A fan of the Caernarfon store also said: "The only decent shop we had left such a shame." While another added: "Sorry to see the store closing staff and manager were very helpful." And another upset shopper chimed in: "Gutted. Not a great decision." The budget retailer has been closing stores across the UK as part of a major restructuring. The brand already closed down eight stores in late June, including branches in Pershore and Perth. Major card chain with 163 shops launches closing down sales ahead of shutting its doors for good A site in Cumbria also closed down in July 12. A further three stores - Middlewich, Heswall and Ashbourne - are also set to close but no date has been given yet. You can check out the full list here: Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire - June 26 Perth - June 28 Chester Le Street, County Durham - June 28 Arbroath, Angus - June 28 Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire - June 28 Pershore, Worcestershire - June 28 Normanton, West Yorkshire - June 28 Peterhead, Aberdeenshire - June 28 Shaftesbury, Dorset - June 28 Staveley, Cumbria - July 12 Bridlington - July 20 Caernarfon - July 20 Cupar, Fife - July 27 Kirkham, Lancashire - August Middlewich, Cheshire - TBC Blairgowrie, Scotland - TBC Ashbourne - TBC Heswall - TBC What's been happening with The Original Factory Shop? Private equity firm Modella bought The Original Factory Shop back in February and has since launched a restructuring effort to renegotiate rents at 88 TOFS stores. Modella is known for picking up struggling retailers, having also recently acquired Hobbycraft and WHSmith 's high street shops. It is set to rebrand all WHSmith high street stores to TGJones, and has brought in advisers to look at potential options for Hobbycraft. At the end of April, Modella drew up plans to initiate a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) for TOFS. Companies often use CVAs to prevent insolvency, which could otherwise result in store closures or the collapse of the entire business. They allow firms to explore different strategies such as negotiating reduced rent rates with landlords. TOFS previously told The Press and Journal that a "number of loss-making stores will have to close" as part of the restructuring. RETAIL PAIN IN 2025 The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April. A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024. Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
