Woman and man appear in court after Jack Lis, 10, mauled to death by XL bully ‘The Beast’ while playing at pal’s house
A MAN and a woman today appeared in court after a 10-year-old boy was mauled to death by a dog nicknamed "The Beast".
Jack Lis was savaged by the eight-stone XL bully while visiting a school friend in Caerphilly, South Wales, last year.
Brandon Hayden, 19, and Amy Salter, 28, are accused of being in charge of the "dangerous and out of control" dog, which caused injury resulting in death.
The pair were arrested a short time after the fatal attack on November 8 and were formally charged last month.
Today, both appeared before Newport Magistrates' Court to face the charges.
Hayden is also charged with a further five offences of owning a dog dangerously out of control between November 4 and 7.
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The court heard two of those incidents resulted in injuries to two members of the public, Michael Ball and Sian Sullivan.
Salter and Hayden, both of Caerphilly, spoke only to confirm their names, dates of birth and addresses.
They did not enter any pleas, and their cases were committed to Newport Crown Court.
The defendants were released on conditional bail until their next court appearance on May 5.
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Emergency services including paramedics from the Welsh Ambulance Service were called to the property at around 3.55pm on November 8 but were unable to save Jack and he died at the scene.
Police firearms officers who also attended the scene destroyed the dog.
The animal was later found to be an American bully or XL bully, which are not on the banned breed list.
Tributes for Jack flooded in following his death, caused by "severe" injuries to the head and neck.
Jack's mum Emma said: "We love you so much our sweet sweet boy."
And his family said in a statement: "Our boy made us the proudest parents and family on the planet. He was the sweetest of boys.
"We will forever miss his quirky ways and his stories that he would spend so long telling us.
"He's forever in our hearts. Sweet dreams Jack, our perfect boy."
His headteacher Gareth Rees, of Cwm Ifor Primary School, described Jack as a "bright and caring" youngster.
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He added: "He was popular among his peers and the teaching staff."
Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hobrough said: "My condolences and thoughts are with Jack’s family, friends, school friends and everyone affected by this within the community."
