Three week old baby dies after being bitten by dog
Northumbria Police said the three-week-old boy was taken to hospital after he was bitten by a small terrier at an address in Falkland Road, Sunderland, but died later.
A spokesman said the dog has been removed from the address and is likely to be destroyed.
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Hide AdA 30-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident and is helping police with their inquiries.
The police spokesman said officers were called to the property at 4.15am today.
Superintendent Gillian Mitchell said: “This is obviously a very tragic incident and our thoughts are with the family of the baby at such a difficult time.
“We are carrying out enquiries to establish the circumstances of the incident and will have extra officers in the area to allow this to be done.
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Hide Ad“Officers will also be on patrol to offer reassurance to the local community who may be concerned.”
Flowers have been laid against the front wall of the house in the quiet, tree-lined street.
Some were accompanied with messages of support. One said: “Thoughts with you and all the family”
A woman who appeared to be a family member and still wearing pyjamas went in through the front door of the pebbled-dashed, three-bedroom semi-detached home, accompanied by plain-clothed police officers.
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Hide AdShe emerged again after about ten minutes and was driven away by the officers.
Uniformed police were patrolling in the area and a police van was parked directly outside the front of the property.
The blinds of the house were drawn and the only sign of any incident was the police presence outside. Children’s toys could be seen outside the back of the property.
A family member, who did not want be identified, said the baby’s mother was not in the house when the youngster was attacked, but added that she never left her son alone with the dog.
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Hide AdThe man said the child’s mother had been at a family event following a bereavement, and had returned late at night to find the distressing scene.
The man said the dog was good-natured and was never left alone with the children in the home, and that it was a small, terrier-type dog.
The man said the baby’s mother is devastated by what happened.