Two parents have today been sentenced at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court after they were found guilty of being a person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury, following the death of their three-year-old son, Daniel Twigg.
Joanne Bedford aged 37 was sentenced to three years and six months in prison and is disqualified from keeping a dog for 15 years.
Mark Twigg aged 43 received a custodial sentence of two years and eight months. He is also disqualified from keeping a dog for 15 years.
The sentencing follows a trial earlier this year, where both parents of Highview Walk, Blackley were acquitted of manslaughter but convicted under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.
Daniel was attacked by a dog, believed to be a Cane Corso named Sid and sadly died from multiple head and neck injuries later that afternoon.
The dog was one of eleven kept on the property, which the family moved into two months earlier.
Daniel entered a dog pen unsupervised, where Sid and another dog were housed in poor conditions.
Specialist officers from GMP’s Tactical Aid Unit and Dog Unit responded to the scene, securing the area and safely removing the dogs. Sid, who was showing extreme agitation, was humanely destroyed at the scene by a firearms officer.
In his sentencing remarks, Mr Justice Kerr said: “No sentence in a case such as this can undo the damage done, nor assuage the grief of the bereaved. You have both lost your beloved son. The wrongdoing that led to Daniel’s death must be punished, and it is my mournful duty to see it done.”
Detective Sergeant Mark Evans, from GMP’s Major Incident Team, said: “This was a deeply tragic and traumatic incident that has left a permanent mark on everyone involved from Daniel’s family and neighbours to the officers and medical professionals who responded that day.
“Daniel was a bright, curious little boy who had grown up around dogs, but as a toddler, he couldn’t understand the risks they could pose. What happened to him was deeply tragic and I want to thank the teams who worked tirelessly to bring justice for Daniel.”
