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Straining at its lead, dragging around its owner and lunging at pedestrians including a young boy on a scooter, this is the terrifying moment a child killer dog named Beast gave a chilling hint of the tragedy that would follow.
The near-7st Bully XL dog mauled ten-year-old schoolboy Jack Lis at a house in Caerphilly on November 8 last year – days after multiple attacks were caught on camera.
Amy Salter, 29, and Brandon Hayden, 19, owned Beast after the ‘muscular’ animal was advertised ‘for free’ on Facebook with a warning that it was ‘not good with other dogs.’
And tragedy struck when the raging animal killed the schoolboy inside a property near Hayden’s home in South Wales. Armed police needed to fire seven rounds to kill the dog, which attacked Jack without provocation.
Jack had been playing with a friend after school when they went to the house where Beast was roaming around downstairs and then bit his face, head and neck.
Hayden, 19, was jailed for four years and six months at Cardiff Crown Court today. His friend Salter was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment. Both were banned from owning a dog indefinitely. After Beast’s death it was later found to be an 115lb American Bully or XL Bully, which are not on the banned breed list.
CCTV footage shown in court revealed the animal attacked shoppers and lunged at children outside the local shop. One incident was 24 hours before Jack died, and showed the owners laughing.
The Beast outside the village shop Top Stores on Heol Aneurin, Caerphilly, attacking pedestrians just days before the animal killed a schoolboy, ten
A child on his scooter was also attacked by the XL bully, which are not on Britain’s banned breed list
Jack Lis was attacked by the XL bully dog while playing with a friend at a house after school in Pentwyn
Brandon Hayden, 19, was jailed for four years and six months at Cardiff Crown Court today. His friend Amy Salter was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment. Both were banned from owning a dog indefinitely.
It took seven rounds of bullets to kill Beast after the incident last year
In one clip, Hayden is seen holding Beast on a lead when he jumps up and bites passer-by Michael Ball.
The footage also shows the animal lunging at terrified children while Hayden fails to pull him back – with one boy dropping his scooter and running to hide behind a wall.
The court heard the dog also attacked shopper Sian Sullivan when he ripped her hoodie and left her with injuries to her chest. The string of attacks took place between November 4 and 7 last year – just days before Jack’s death.
In a statement read to Cardiff Crown Court on her behalf, Jack Lis’s mother Emma Whitfield said: ‘No mum should ever have the last images of their child as being dragged from a house, knowing deep down they’re gone but praying that it isn’t so.
Jack Lis, pictured, suffered unsurvivable injuries to the head and neck after he was attacked by the dog
‘I close my eyes and I see the animal and its teeth. I hear the barking. I have severe panic attacks and I have horrifying flashbacks.
‘I constantly ask ‘Why my boy? Why Jack?’ I would have given my life trying to protect him, but I couldn’t do this because he wasn’t somewhere familiar.
‘He was at a friend’s house, a house he should have been safe.’
She continued: ‘Some of the last conversations we had as a family were about Christmas presents and Jack told us what he wanted.
‘Being able to buy his Christmas presents was even taken from us because all he asked for was clothes.
‘We were no longer shopping for Christmas presents, we were shopping for clothes for Jack to be buried in.
‘We should still have our Jack here in person to talk to, but instead we say good morning and good night to his pictures without a response.
‘I’m trapped in what used to be our family home. Now it’s broken and it will never be the same again.’
And it was Jack who would eventually lose his life.
Prosecutor Gareth James said the friend watched in horror as Beast pushed Jack to the floor with his ‘paws on Jack’s shoulders.’
Mr James said: ‘It was at that point that the friend saw Beast attack Jack.
‘He went to help Jack but immediately realised that he could not help him.’
Jack’s mother Emma Whitfield clutched a teddy and cried throughout the hearing as the details of her son’s death were read aloud.
Cardiff Crown Court heard the friend ran to neighbour Kirk Wiegold’s home in a desperate attempt to get help.
Mr Wiegold tried to get inside but could only open the door ‘a fraction’ and was met by the horrific scene.
Emergency services rushed to the address in Caerphilly, South Wales, but Jack was tragically pronounced dead.
The court heard his parents were waiting outside when they were told their son had been attacked.
Mr James said Hayden had responded to an ad on Facebook before asking Salter if the dog could stay with her.
The court was shown CCTV clips where the animal was repeatedly out of control, including here outside a shop
Brandon Hayden and Amy Salter with the dog Beast in Caerphilly on the first day of attacks
Beast had been offered for free on Facebook in an advert that warned he was ‘not good with other dogs’
Cameras saw the dog attack people in the days before it killed Jack
The dog was repeatedly not under control on the streets. Dragging along his owners and wriggling away from their grasp
He said: ‘Brandon Hayden became the owner of Beast on November 3 last year. He had responded to an advert offering Beast for free to a good home.
‘The seller said it was not good with other dogs. Mr Hayden agreed to take Beast with the initial understanding there were some issues with Beast’s behaviour towards other dogs.
‘Having taken ownership of Beast he asked Amy Salter if Beast could stay with her at her address due to lack of space and Beast was not getting along with other dogs. He asked Amy Salter to look after Beast for a short period.
‘Ms Salter assisted with feeding and watering Beast but Mr Hayden supplied food and was the only person who walked it. Brandon Hayden was given a key to attend each day and walk the dog.’
The court heard the pair were looking after Beast for just days before it attacked and killed Jack on November 8 last year.
Hayden was also seen on the footage ‘kicking and slapping’ Beast after it jumped over a fence to maul a Jack Russell.
Mr James said: ‘Within 24 hours of Hayden becoming Beast’s owner he could see such incidents were likely.
‘Despite seeing the incidents, Ms Salter agreed for Beast to stay at the address and provided shelter, food and watering Beast.
‘There was only an old door to stop him from going upstairs was permitted freely to walk around with no apparatus or cage to restrain him.’
The court heard Beast was shot by firearms officers at the scene as horrified neighbours gathered outside following the attack on Jack.
Hayden gave a prepared statement in interview to claim that ‘as far as he was concerned’ the dog belonged to Salter.
The court heard he attended the scene after the attack and appeared to be ‘freaking out’ before leaving when police arrived.
Mr James said: ‘He said he would never forget the images he saw and can’t get them out of his mind.’
Salter and Hayden admitted being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death.
Hayden also admitted a further three counts of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control and two counts of being the owner of a dog which caused injury while dangerously out of control in a public place.
The sentencing, before Judge Michael Fitton QC, continues.
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