Latest news with #MarkTwigg
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Boy, 3, 'left alone' before fatal dog attack on farm
A three-year-old boy who died in a dog attack on a farm was left unsupervised with "dangerous" and "aggressive" animals for at least 15 minutes, a court has been told. Daniel Twigg was attacked after letting himself into a fenced yard where the two dogs - described as being large mastiffs - were kept on Carr Farm, Rochdale, on 15 May 2022. He suffered injuries including bites to the neck and died at the scene. His parents Joanne Bedford and Mark Twigg have denied gross negligence manslaughter and offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Their trial at Manchester Crown Court was told the incident was "not a short rapid attack". Daniel's family had moved to the farm in March 2022 to look after the property and several dogs who belonged to the farm's owner, Matthew Brown, the court heard. The two dogs that attacked Daniel - named Sid and Tiny - weighed around 110 lbs (50 kg) and were used for breeding and as guard dogs. The court was told that immediately after the incident, Ms Bedford told a police officer that other members of the family were in the garden when Daniel disappeared before they heard the dogs attacking him. She told the officer: "We went in straightaway but he'd already gone. They killed him out right." But John Elvidge KC, for the prosecution, said Daniel was left unsupervised with the dogs for at least 15 minutes, and that Ms Bedford "failed to give the police any account for leaving Daniel unsupervised for so long". He said Daniel's parents knew he had previously gone into the pen by himself and was well-aware he liked and was very attracted to the dogs. Ms Bedford later told police that Daniel was only out of her sight for a "couple of minutes". Mr Elvidge told the court the defendants "blatantly disregarded" warnings from a RSPCA inspector who had recently visited the farm. He said the inspector was so concerned about the number of dangerous dogs and the potential danger to Daniel that he reported his concerns to police. The trial heard Mr Twigg was not at the farm at the time of the attack. His defence barrister Andrew Thomas KC said Mr Twigg was working 15 miles away and "had left Daniel in the care of his mum". The court was read extracts from WhatsApp messages between Ms Bedford and a neighbour, Leanne Thornton. In one, Ms Thornton described Tiny as a "ticking time bomb". Ms Bedford broke down in the dock as CCTV footage of the aftermath of the attack was shown to the jury. The footage showed a neighbour, carrying a knife, running to the pen where Daniel lay fatally injured. He returned to his home minutes later, visibly shaken. The trial continues. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Man and woman charged over boy's dog attack death
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Father of boy, 3, mauled to death by 50kg dog knew the lad could get into the pen where he was killed, manslaughter trial hears
The parents of a three-year-old who died in a savage dog attack at a farm knew he was capable of entering the pen where he was mauled, a jury has heard. Daniel Twigg suffered horrific injuries in the 'furious and prolonged' attack at Carr Farm, Rochdale, on May 15, 2022. His parents Mark Twigg, 43, and Joanne Bedford, 37, are on trial at Manchester Crown Court accused of Daniel's manslaughter. The prosecution allege their negligence meant the toddler was 'alone and unsupervised' when he entered a yard where two large, 'dangerous' and 'powerful' 50kg guard dogs were kept. Although the dogs - a Cane Corsa called Sid and Tiny a Boerboel type dog - belonged to farm owner Matthew Brown it's alleged the couple were looking after the them at the time and should have known the risks to Daniel. But they had ignored warnings from the RSPCA that the animals were a danger, it's claimed. The jury have heard that gates to the dog pen were secured only with a Karabiner clip, rather than a padlock, which could be pressed open John Elvidge KC, prosecuting, said Daniel was 'attracted' and 'confident' around dogs kept at the farm but - due to his age - was incapable of understanding the risk they presented. Daniel's parents Mark Twigg, 43, (left) and Joanne Bedford, 37, (right) pictured arriving for a previous court hearing, both deny charges of gross negligence manslaughter and being in charge of a dog that was dangerously out of control 'He had also demonstrated his curiosity and, the prosecution say, his ability to work the small Karabiner clip, which only had to be pressed open. 'His parents were on clear notice of the risk that if unsupervised he could enter the pen occupied by Sid and Tiny.' Mr Elvidge said there had also been previous incidents at the farm when Daniel's older brother was bitten by dogs. In the aftermath of the tragedy, the couple had provided various accounts of what happened, although Twigg had was not there at the time as he was working. After receiving the news that Daniel could not be resuscitated at hospital, he allegedly told a police officer: 'I don't even know what's happened…I know he's a little shit and he opens stuff himself.' And Bedford later told a detective and a hospital paediatrician that Daniel 'must have walked and unlocked the gate' by unclipping it and 'had previously done this and been told off for it'. In a police interviews months later, the jury heard, Bedford then claimed the couple didn't know Daniel was capable of opening the gate on his own and had 'never' done so. The jury also heard how Bedford had given conflicting accounts of how long Daniel had been out of her sight and whether she was aware he'd left the farmhouse, with the prosecution claiming he was left unsupervised in the pen 'for at least 20 minutes'. CCTV from a neighbours' property played in court showed the youngster moving around inside for a few moments before disappearing from view. At the same time, a dog in an adjacent pen becomes agitated which, the prosecution say, coincided with the attack on Daniel, who suffered catastrophic injuries, principally to his head and neck. The jury heard how Bedford, who dialled 999, had been 'hysterical' and crying after the attack and told police who arrived at the scene: 'Kill that dog'. She had attempted to give Daniel, who was found seriously injured by his older sister, chest compressions on a stone bench in the rear yard. Although it's not known whether both dogs were involved in the attack, the jury previously heard, Sid was 'likely' responsible. He was shot dead at the scene and a post mortem examination showed that he had not eaten for 12/24 hours. Tiny, meanwhile, had been described as 'dangerous' and 'ticking time bomb' by a neighbour. Mr Elvidge said Daniel's parents had breached the duty of care towards him, which they dispute, and had negligently allowed him to enter dog pen and that was a 'significant contribution' to his death. Addressing the jury, Andrew Thomas KC, defending Twigg, said they needed to sure there was a 'serious and obvious risk' to Daniel. He added that Sid and Tiny did not belong to his parents, that Daniel would have had to 'reach through' the gate to unclip it, and Twigg wasn't even home at the time of the attack. Twigg and Bedford, of Radcliffe, Bury, both deny charges of gross negligence manslaughter and being in charge of a dog that caused injury while dangerously out of control. The trial, due to last three weeks, continues.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Daniel Twigg: Boy, 3, 'left alone' before fatal dog attack on farm
A three-year-old boy who died in a dog attack on a farm was left unsupervised with "dangerous" and "aggressive" animals for at least 15 minutes, a court has been Twigg was attacked after letting himself into a fenced yard where the two dogs - described as being large mastiffs - were kept on Carr Farm, Rochdale, on 15 May 2022. He suffered injuries including bites to the neck and died at the scene. His parents Joanne Bedford and Mark Twigg have denied gross negligence manslaughter and offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Their trial at Manchester Crown Court was told the incident was "not a short rapid attack". Daniel's family had moved to the farm in March 2022 to look after the property and several dogs who belonged to the farm's owner, Matthew Brown, the court two dogs that attacked Daniel - named Sid and Tiny - weighed around 110 lbs (50 kg) and were used for breeding and as guard dogs. The court was told that immediately after the incident, Ms Bedford told a police officer that other members of the family were in the garden when Daniel disappeared before they heard the dogs attacking told the officer: "We went in straightaway but he'd already gone. They killed him out right." 'Warnings ignored' But John Elvidge KC, for the prosecution, said Daniel was left unsupervised with the dogs for at least 15 minutes, and that Ms Bedford "failed to give the police any account for leaving Daniel unsupervised for so long".He said Daniel's parents knew he had previously gone into the pen by himself and was well-aware he liked and was very attracted to the Bedford later told police that Daniel was only out of her sight for a "couple of minutes".Mr Elvidge told the court the defendants "blatantly disregarded" warnings from a RSPCA inspector who had recently visited the said the inspector was so concerned about the number of dangerous dogs and the potential danger to Daniel that he reported his concerns to police. The trial heard Mr Twigg was not at the farm at the time of the defence barrister Andrew Thomas KC said Mr Twigg was working 15 miles away and "had left Daniel in the care of his mum".The court was read extracts from WhatsApp messages between Ms Bedford and a neighbour, Leanne Thornton. In one, Ms Thornton described Tiny as a "ticking time bomb". Ms Bedford broke down in the dock as CCTV footage of the aftermath of the attack was shown to the jury. The footage showed a neighbour, carrying a knife, running to the pen where Daniel lay fatally injured. He returned to his home minutes later, visibly trial continues. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Boy, 3, died in ‘furious' dog attack at farm after his ‘parents allowed him to wander into pen unsupervised'
A THREE-year-old boy died in a 'furious and prolonged' dog attack at a farm after his parents allowed him to wander into a pen unsupervised, a jury heard. Daniel Twigg was savagely mauled to death at Carr Farm, in Rochdale, Manchester, on May 15, 2022, due to the alleged negligence of his parents Mark Twigg, 43, and Joanne Bedford, 37. 3 3 3 The pair are now on trial at Manchester Crown Court accused of Daniel's manslaughter. The prosecution claim the toddler was allowed to enter a dog pen where two large, 'dangerous' 50kg dogs - one a Cane Corso called Sid and another Boerboel or Boerboel cross Tiny - were kept. Daniel entered 'alone and unsupervised', it's alleged, and 'without effective precautions being taken'. John Elvidge KC, prosecuting, said the dogs, who belonged to the farm owner, were used as guard dog and for breeding and were not family pets. They were 'deliberately kept outside' in enclosed pens, he said, and the jury heard how the RSPCA had warned the dogs were a danger but the warnings were ignored. While steps were taken to stop them escaping, Mr Elvidge said, 'no effective precautions were taken to keep Daniel out'. CCTV from a neighbour's property showed Daniel inside the pen at 12.50pm, the jury heard, and he was seen moving around inside for a few moments before disappearing from view. At the same time, a dog in an adjacent pen became 'excited, bouncing up and down in animated fashion'. The prosecution, Mr Elvidge said, say this 'coincides with the beginning of a ferocious and prolonged attack' on Daniel. The tot suffered catastrophic injuries, principally to his head and neck, which were consistent with the 'predatory behaviour of dogs'. A 999 call was made by Daniel's mother almost 20 minutes later after he'd been inside the dog pen, the jury heard, and while it's not known for certain whether both dogs were involved in the attack Sid was the 'likely' culprit. 'No-one suggests that these catastrophic events were intended or desired by his parents but this attack and Daniel's death were utterly foreseeable consequences of negligently allowing Daniel to enter Sid and Tiny's pen alone and unsupervised,' Mr Elvidge said. Moment armed police shoot and kill dog after child mauled & cop bitten in attack 'It is the prosecution case that his parents were aware that Daniel could enter the pen if he was left unsupervised.' The jury heard how the dog pen, situated at the side of the farmhouse, was accessed through gates secured by a Karabiner clip - rather than a secure lock - that could 'easily' be slipped open. Daniel's parents had a 'long association' with the farm, owned by a Matthew Brown, with Twigg working as an odd job man and Bedford keeping horses there. The couple, who've got two other children, leased the farmhouse from Brown in March 2022 after he'd been remanded to prison when his girlfriend Deniqua Westwood made a complaint to police. Westwood, who operated a puppy breeding business, moved out and but it was agreed the guard dogs would remain and the couple would look after them. Twigg was paid £450 to attend to the day-to-day security, running of the farm, and the dogs' care. The couple, who also had another eight or nine dogs to look after, including three of their own, stayed on at the farm despite having a home in Blackley, Manchester, when Brown was released on bail, the jury heard. The pair continued to have responsibility for the dogs over weekends when he was away, with Daniel attacked one such weekend, argued the prosecution. 'CATASTROPHIC' Mr Elvidge said the dogs had been kept in 'filthy and disgusting conditions' and the couple were aware of concerns raised by the RSPCA and a warning that Daniel 'might be bitten'. And there were a number of incidents involving dogs at the farm escaping, biting people and fighting each other. Police were also aware that 'dangerous' dogs at the farm were being injured and neglected, the jury heard. It is claimed that RSPCA inspectors had expressed specific concerns about Daniel being around the dogs and mentioned a recent fatal attack involving a small child, but they were 'disregarded' by the couple. And they were also warned about the dogs being loose and kept locked up in suitable areas. The RSPCA also told police on March 30 that 'something could happen if the dogs started fighting near the child,' Mr Elvidge said, and his parents had been advised to be careful. The jury also heard how Rochdale Children's Services visited the farm just three days before the attack and expressed concerns. These included signs of 'neglect' of Daniel and that he was 'in danger' from the dogs. Twigg and Bedford, of Radcliffe, Bury, both deny charges of gross negligence manslaughter and being in charge of a dog that was dangerously out of control. The trial, due to last three weeks, continues.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Boy, three, died in a 'furious and prolonged' attack by 'dangerous' 50kg dogs after his parents allowed him to wander into their pen unsupervised, court hears
A three-year-old boy died in a 'furious and prolonged' dog attack at a farm after his parents allowed him to wander into a pen unsupervised, a jury heard today. Daniel Twigg was mauled to death at Carr Farm, in Milnrow, near Rochdale, on May 15, 2022, due to the alleged negligence of his parents Mark Twigg, 43, and Joanne Bedford, 37. The pair are on trial at Manchester Crown Court accused of Daniel's manslaughter. The prosecution claim the toddler was allowed to enter a pen where two large, 'dangerous' 50kg dogs - one a Cane Corsa called Sid and another a Boerboel or Boerboel cross named Tiny - were kept. He entered 'alone and unsupervised', it's alleged, and 'without effective precautions being taken'. John Elvidge KC, prosecuting, said the dogs, which belonged to the farm owner and not Daniel's parents, were used as guard dogs and for breeding and were not family pets. They were 'deliberately kept outside' in enclosed pens, he said, and the jury heard how the RSPCA had warned the dogs were a danger but the warnings were ignored. While steps were taken to stop them escaping, Mr Elvidge said, 'no effective precautions were taken to keep Daniel out'. Daniel's parents Mark Twigg, 43, (left) and Joanne Bedford, 37, (right) pictured arriving for a previous court hearing, both deny charges of gross negligence manslaughter and being in charge of a dog that was dangerously out of control CCTV from a neighbour's property showed Daniel inside the pen at 12.50pm, the jury heard, and he's seen moving around inside for a few moments before disappearing from view. At the same time, a dog in an adjacent pen became 'excited, bouncing up and down in animated fashion'. The prosecution, Mr Elvidge said, say this 'coincides with the beginning of a ferocious and prolonged attack' on Daniel, who suffered catastrophic injuries, principally to his head and neck, which were consistent with the 'predatory behaviour of dogs'. A 999 call was made by Daniel's mother almost 20 minutes later after he'd been inside the dog pen, the jury heard. While it is not known for certain whether both dogs were involved in the attack, Sid was the 'likely' culprit. 'No-one suggests that these catastrophic events were intended or desired by his parents, but this attack and Daniel's death were utterly foreseeable consequences of negligently allowing Daniel to enter Sid and Tiny's pen alone and unsupervised,' Mr Elvidge said. 'It is the prosecution case that his parents were aware that Daniel could enter the pen if he was left unsupervised.' The jury heard how the dog pen, situated at the side of the farmhouse, was accessed through gates secured by a Karabiner clip - rather than a secure lock - that could 'easily' be slipped open. Daniel's parents had a 'long association' with the farm, owned by Matthew Brown, with Twigg working as an odd-job man and Bedford keeping horses there. The couple, who have two other children, leased the farmhouse from Mr Brown in March 2022 after he was remanded to prison when his girlfriend Deniqua Westwood made a complaint to police. Ms Westwood, who operated a puppy breeding business, moved out, and but it was agreed the guard dogs would remain and the couple would look after them. Twigg was paid to attend to the day-to-day security, running of the farm, and the dogs' care. The couple, who also had another eight or nine dogs to look after, including three of their own, stayed on at the farm despite having a home in Manchester when Mr Brown was released on bail, the jury heard. The prosecution case is that they continued to have responsibility for the dogs over weekends when he was away, and that was when Daniel was attacked. Mr Elvidge said the dogs had been kept in 'filthy and disgusting conditions' and the couple were aware of concerns raised by the RSPCA and a warning that Daniel 'might be bitten'. There were a number of incidents involving dogs at the farm escaping, biting people and fighting each other. Police were also aware that 'dangerous' dogs at the farm were being injured and neglected, the jury heard. RSPCA inspectors had expressed specific concerns about Daniel being around the dogs and mentioned a recent fatal attack involving a small child, but they were 'disregarded' by the couple, the court heard. And they were also warned about the dogs being loose and kept locked up in suitable areas. The RSPCA also told police on March 30 that 'something could happen if the dogs started fighting near the child,' Mr Elvidge said, and his parents had been advised to be careful. Rochdale Children's Services visited the farm just three days before the attack and expressed concerns, the jury were told. These included signs of 'neglect' of Daniel and that he was 'in danger' from the dogs. Twigg and Bedford, of Radcliffe, Bury, both deny charges of gross negligence manslaughter and being in charge of a dog that was dangerously out of control. The trial, due to last three weeks, continues.
