A Boy Died from Neck Injuries After Dogs Attacked Him — and Mom Recalls 'Petrifying' Moment from Witness Stand

The mother of a 3-year-old boy who was killed by a dog in 2022 described seeing the “petrifying” death of her son while testifying in court.

Joanne Bedford and Mark Twigg are on trial for charges of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the death of their son, Daniel, according to Greater Manchester Police.

Daniel died in May 2022 following an attack from what police described as a “dangerous dog” in the English town of Rochdale.

The Manchester Evening News reported that during her trial, Bedford, who, along with her husband, denies the charges, took the stand in her trial, which is ongoing.

Bedford reportedly testified that the incident occurred in the morning and that she had left Daniel in the kitchen with his older sister while getting shorts for her son upstairs, first stopping in the bathroom.

“I don’t know how long I was in there,” Bedford testified, according to the Evening News. “Then I was going to go into Daniel’s bedroom to retrieve his shorts but I didn’t get there before I heard his sister screaming: ‘Mum, mum, Daniel’s in the [dog] pen. He is face down and he’s got blood everywhere.’”

The paper reported that Bedford then burst into tears. She then reportedly testified she went to the dog pen and got the dogs out of the way.

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“I sat down on the floor with Daniel and asked his sister to get my phone so I could call for an ambulance,” she testified. “Daniel was face down on the floor, he had gotten puncture marks all over his neck and he was bleeding. I was petrified and scared for my little boy.”

The BBC previously reported that police needed riot shields to protect paramedics that tried to rescue the boy.

According to the BBC, it was revealed in court that the family had moved into the home on a farm in March 2022 to look after the property and dogs of the farm’s owner.