Tearful police officer tells of haunting dog attack scene

A POLICE officer held back tears as she told a jury of the haunting scene she encountered after a three-year-old boy was fatally attacked by two dogs at a farm.

- BY AMY WALKER

Daniel Twigg was set upon after getting into a fenced yard where the two dogs - a Cane Corso and Black Boerboel - were being kept at Carr farm, Rochdale, on May 15, 2022, a trial has been told.

The three-year-old horrific significant injuries, including bites to the neck and died in hospital later that day, jurors previously heard.

Daniel's parents, Joanne Bedford and Mark Twigg, are on trial at Manchester Crown Court accused of gross negligence manslaughter and offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act. They both deny the charges.

Daniel’s family moved to the farm in March 2022 to look after the property, and several dogs, which belonged to owner Matthew Brown, the court previously heard.

The two dogs that attacked Daniel - named Sid and Tiny - weighed around 50kg each and were used for breeding and as guard dogs.

On day three of the trial on Wednesday (July 2), jurors heard evidence from one of the first police officers on the scene. PC Bethany Justice said on arrival that Ms Bedford was ‘antsy and distraught’.

Holding back tears, she said: "I tried to stay with Joanne. She said the dog needed killing.