Caerphilly dog attack: Mum's tribute to 'sweet' boy who died

The mother of a 10-year-old boy who was killed by a dog has paid tribute to her "beautiful" and "sweet" son.

Jack Lis died at a house in Caerphilly on Monday afternoon.

The dog was destroyed by police, who said it was "extremely aggressive".

His mother Emma Whitfield wrote on Facebook: "With so much heart break and before close friends and family see his name in the news, I have to announce our beautiful boy Jack was taken so tragically yesterday."

She said it was "not our dog, nor did it happen at our family home".

"He was out to play. We love you so much our sweet, sweet boy."

Police have not yet been able to confirm the breed of the dog which has been described as "large and powerful".

Gwent Police said the animal belonged to the occupant of the house where Jack was killed.

A neighbour said someone had gone running to intervene and wrestle the dog off at the house in Pentwyn, Penyrheol.

Jack was a pupil at Cwm Ifor Primary School in Caerphilly, whose head teacher, Gareth Rees, said the whole school community "has been rocked by the tragic events of the past 24 hours".

Officers were called to the house at 15:55 GMT on Monday following reports of a dog attack.

Ch Supt Mark Hobrough, of Gwent Police, confirmed the attack "did not happen in the house owned by Jack's family, but inside another property on a nearby street".

He said the dog had been acting "extremely aggressively".

The force is waiting for an expert witness to formally identify the traits of the dog.

Ch Supt Hobrough said it was "no doubt dangerous, hazardous and harrowing" for both the officers attending and the local community.

People at the scene used a distraction technique to get Jack out at "the first available opportunity", he said.

People have started to leave flowers at the house where the attack happened - "RIP Little One" is one of the messages.

Many have described the panic and chaos of the scenes yesterday as police arrived on the scene.

Those officers remain outside the house today, with forensic officers now in and out gathering evidence.

The house is in the middle of a large housing estate, family homes with kids' toys in the gardens of many of the houses.

Today, the shock and sadness in the community is clear - a murky and wet day in Caerphilly mirrors the mood of many.

Paramedics were also called to the scene, where Jack was pronounced dead.

"My condolences and thoughts are with Jack's family, friends, school friends and everyone affected by this within the community," Ch Supt Hobrough added.

"Officers are continuing to make further inquiries at this time and will remain at the scene as the investigation progresses."

Neighbours described being alerted to "screaming" in the street on Monday afternoon.

Resident Lorraine Irvine said: "The kids - they were hysterical.

"And within minutes I've never seen so many police cars in my life."

Neighbour Tracey Lawrence said: "The little boy that lives there ran over to a neighbour saying the dog was attacking his friend and the neighbour couldn't help and couldn't save the boy."

Another resident, Ricky Willis, said: "The first I heard of it my neighbour knocked on my door, it's a big shock.

"I've lived on this road for 46 years and I've never seen anything like this happen."

One neighbour, who asked not to be named, described the scene as "chaos".

While another said: "I feel sick to my stomach thinking about what happened to that boy."

Head teacher Mr Rees described Jack as a "bright and caring pupil who was popular amongst his peers and the teaching staff".

"Our thoughts are very much with his family at this difficult time and we now need time and space to heal together as a school community."

He said support was being made available for pupils and staff over the coming days "as we come to terms with this devastating news".

Councillor Steven Skivens, who represents the Penyrheol ward on Caerphilly council, described it as "an absolutely devastating incident with the loss of such a young life".

He said Jack's family would need time to grieve and "will need space to get over this incident, if that's possible".

Speaking at First Minister's Questions, Mark Drakeford said: "You can just imagine the impact this will have on those very young children who know him and who would have, in some cases, very sadly witnessed those awful events."

"Members here will be thinking about Jack and his family," he said, in response to a question by Hefin David, the Member of the Senedd for Caerphilly.

"I'm sure that everyone in this chamber would wish to send their condolences and best thoughts to the family and the community of Penyrheol who undoubtedly will rally round in these circumstances," said Mr David.